In Times of War
by CityOfFallenAshes
Summary: When Kagome, a woman sold into slavery by her father, is purchased by the owners of the Takahashi Lands, she dreads the thought of being owned by people of royalty. But what she finds is almost the complete opposite. With the country on the very edge of war, what's a 'worthless' woman to do?
1. Prologue

**Summary: **When Kagome, a woman sold into slavery by her father, is purchased by the owners of the Takahashi Lands, she dreads the thought of being owned by people of royalty. But what she finds is almost the complete opposite. With the country on the very edge of war, what's a 'worthless' woman to do?

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

**A/N: As promised, the newest fanfiction! I came up with this idea while learning about the Civil War in school, and thought "Eh, this might make an interesting plot…" HAHAHA! Now I'm laughing at myself because what I have planned is a huge story with three different arcs! ANYWAYS! I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimers!**

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

_In a time once full of love, fear spread. Hate flared. Blood spilled._

_ And in return, a demon was born._

_ The demon slew thousands upon thousands of mortals, forcing itself upon a select few women who later gave birth to the children of this powerful monster._

_ In return, the mortals who birthed the demon's children were pushed out of their homes, destined to die. But the love for their children ran strong, and born from this love was a beautiful priestess whose hair was a dark black pool and her lovely violet eyes a gentle caress to those born in a time of hate._

_ When the woman opened her eyes, she heard of terrible wars and rushed forward, hurrying to confront the demon with nothing but a hunting knife._

_ When she confronted him, the demon drew his mighty sword, deciding that in order to continue in this life, he must kill her. But just as he was about to plunge his mighty sword through her chest, the demon looked the beautiful woman in the eye. Stunned, the demon could only watch as the woman he fell in love with at first sight plunged her blade into his chest._

_ He did nothing._

_ He didn't fight back, but instead cursed her, telling her that until any descendent of this woman could fall in love with a demon, they would be cursed to die a painful death at the young age of twenty unless they birthed a child by the, passing the curse on. _

_ Years passed, and the woman gave birth to a beautiful boy with hair a fair shade of brown. _

_ And so, my daughter, began the line of Higurashis. This story, as I write this letter, may not seem important. But later, when you are older and understand these words, you will understand._

_ You are, after all, my eldest._

**~Wrote by Jakobe Higurashi, King of **

**The Higurashi Lands**

**Delivered to his daughter, Kagome Higurashi,**

**Just moments before her disappearance from**

**The castle.**


	2. The Slave Market

**{{The Slave Ark}}**

The leather chord around her neck was tight, too tight for her liking, as her father jerked silently on the two leather pieces that tied it around her neck. After finishing it, he sneered, shoving her away from him and sending her sprawling on the ground with a small cry. "Shut it, you bitch," he snarled at her. "You put this on yourself."

She didn't object, just sitting up and glaring furiously at her father before tugging at the leather pieces. She made a face. This would be her collar for the rest of her life. Never again would her pale, slim neck feel the gentle caressing breeze. The collar around her neck was tight enough to rub and irritate her skin, but not tight enough to suffocate her. She was slightly disappointed. She would rather die than be sold as a slave, just like her mother and brother had been.

The black smith who had tied it so tightly inspected it, making sure it wouldn't come off at the slightest movement, roughly jerking on it and sending her tumbling to the ground. She grunted in response, cringing as the back of her head clashed with the stony floor of her used-to-be home.

"Is it tight enough?" The Seller asked, giving it a rough tug himself. She curled a lip at him, gray eyes furious. How dare he put a hand on her! In return, the man slammed his curled fist into her cheek, sending her reeling back and sprawling out on her back. She whimpered.

"Hai," her father confirmed, giving a friendly smile to the Seller. The Seller shook his hand, and then counted out fifty dwel. The silver pieces were placed in her father's money pouch. "Do as you wish with her, Urite, she's a disobedient bitch."  
"Of course, Kenzo," Urite, the Seller, practically purred, reaching into a satchel he carried and pulling out a chain. He hooked it to the small hoop that protruded from her collar. "Come on, girl, we'll see if we can get you sold at the next market, ne?"  
She spat at him, not flinching as he raised his hand again. "My name's not 'girl'. It's Kagome!" She barely felt the burning sensation of pain as his hand connected with her cheek, only tasting the rustic taste of blood on her tongue as she bit her cheek.

Urite scowled, jerking on the chain that connected to Kagome's collar, smirking as she choked and was forced to her knees by the force on her neck. He placed his foot on her back and pushed her to the ground, pinning her there. She only scowled up at him, her gray eyes sparking furiously with a challenge, practically saying, _I dare you to try and tame me; you'll regret it if you even attempt it!_

"Perhaps Naraku-sama could use a new concubine?" Kenzo suggested with an evil grin as Kagome's face paled.

Urite sighed, giving a wistful look. "I wish he would come out again. He pays me three times the normal price, and quadrupled that last price for Bankotsu and Jakotsu. Good thing he gave me so much money; look how much of a warrior those two turned out to be."  
"Hai," Kenzo agreed, smirking at Kagome's fearful expression. "Now take the bitch out of here please, seeing her face is displeasing." With that, the black smith turned away.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

Kagome whimpered, rubbing at her sore and injured throat as she was half led, half dragged through the blinding sun and blazing hot deserts, for which the Kumo Kingdom was famous for. Kagome shuddered when she saw a beautiful but deadly cobra rear up in surprise not too far away. But Urite, a snake youkai himself, hissed and it disappeared back into the sand. "Can't have a snake being the death of my prize," he mumbled. To Kagome, he muttered, "You cost a lot of money."  
Kagome curled a lip, scowling at the Seller. "Well, you're the one who purchased me," she spat, tugging at the collar tied around her neck once again. "If you wanted to be nice, I'd prefer you just kill me with that huge sword of yours." She indicated the dark steel of his treasure.

Urite smirked, urging the youkai horse he rode to continue picking its way across the piping hot sand. "Ah, but I am no so kind as to give a slave peace, now am I?"  
Kagome gave a good growl for a human. "I'm not just a slave!" She snapped. "That bastard was cruel and decided he'd rather sell me into slavery then-"

_Snap!_

Kagome gave a cry of pain as the large horse whip the youkai carried came crashing down across her cheek, sending her tumbling into the sand, immediately scorching her back. A red welt appeared quickly.

"Bitch," Urite hissed, "You are a mere slave. You should do as you are told and not talk ill about your previous owners!"

"He wasn't my-"

_Crack!_

Kagome moaned in pain as whip cracked sharply across her back, leaving another remaining welt across her pale back. The young woman wore what was the remains of what used to be a lovely blue dress, now torn and sand covered from their multiple day trek across the deserts. The dress had been ripped down the back, revealing a pale and un-marred back, now complete with a huge welt.

Then Urite jerked harshly on the chain that was connected to her collar, content to drag the screeching woman across scorching hot sands as his horse started forward again, sawing at the bit in its mouth. "You can try to escape, but you'll die within a day," he called over his shoulder as Kagome finally managed to get to her feet, trying to tear the collar off. By now, it had rubbed viciously on the skin of her throat, leaving it sore, irritable, and bleeding.

"I don't care what you do," Kagome rasped. "I'll get away. I've always managed to escape him; I can escape you and get to safety."

"Good luck with that," Urite replied. He glanced up at the sun, contemplating what he should do. The sun was nearing the western horizon, meaning the brisk, cool air of night was approaching. With that would come the scorpions and the snakes, coming out while it was safe to come out without getting burned by the sun. "Hurry up, girl. Unless you want to be bitten by a snake and die."

Kagome's face paled and she bit her lip. She hurried after the Seller, whimpering in pain as the sand continued to sear her raw and bare feet. "Urite," she suddenly whispered, "Why do you do this? Why do you sell people as slaves to other Sellers?"

The Seller glanced back at her in surprise. Never before had a slave he planned to sell asked this question. In fact, nobody, human or youkai, had ever asked this question. "…I don't know," he finally said, voice soft and grim. "I have no other way to supply for my mate and daughter, though, and this is a good way to make plenty of money, especially when it's so expensive to buy food in the Kumo Kingdom. Naraku-sama isn't the kindest man…"

"Let me go, then, Urite," she pleaded. "I won't tell anyone that you were the one who let me escape. I…I'll say I just escaped from a fake owner, and I'll serve you and your family as a servant for free!" Her voice broke. "Just…please, Urite. I don't want to be beaten and such. I don't want to be claimed a slave for the rest of my life because of a collar around my neck."

Urite looked away, urging his mount forward again when he realized it had stopped, forcing himself to ignore the tears that had pooled and streamed down her cheeks like tiny waterfalls. "I'm truly sorry, Kagome-chan," he told her, "I don't wish this life upon anyone. But I need the money for my daughter, whose starving as it is. Forgive me."

Kagome's hopeful look fell with the last words and she gave a small sob, jerking furiously at the collar around her neck as she realized that her last chance of escape had slipped from her grasp.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

"Thank you," Urite said cheerfully as he took the dwel from the friendly Seller's hands. "I'm very grateful that you offered this much. I'll be able to feed my family for quite some time this time."

Ten days had passed since Urite had begun dragging Kagome across the sands of the desert, and now she found herself, face pale, in the Slave Market, a popular selling and buying point for slave owners in the Inu Kingdom. Across the pathway from her, Urite, and the other Seller, an owner yelled and screamed at a cowering boy, whose green eyes sparkled with fear as he flinched, waiting for the blow that both knew would come.

Urite turned to Kagome and said quickly, in a low voice, "Kagome-chan, I'm sorry that I can't free you. This is the closest I can get; most that buy from here are lesser Inu youkai who are kind and gentle to their possessions." Kagome scowled at his choice of words for slaves. "Perhaps you'll get lucky and be purchased by the Silver Queen herself!"

Kagome had forgotten about that.

While all of the other kingdoms were controlled by powerful men, the Inu Kingdom was ruled by a queen, who was usually graceful and a rare silver haired dog demon. But, suddenly as of a hundred years ago, a black haired woman –a human –had taken over the monarchy, pushing aside her step-son, who'd wanted the seat for himself. She soon gave birth to her half-demon son, the ever famous owner of the powerful sword, Tetsusaiga, and took control as the country edged the brink of war.

Kagome swallowed as Urite winked, then walked away. She looked up in terror at the new Seller, who roughly grabbed her chin and turned her head, examining her closely as a wail rang out from the poor boy nearby. Kagome's gaze flickered over to see the boy holding his cheek. She caught sight of a fluffy tail. A kitsune. Kagome narrowed her gaze and jerked away from the Seller, spat at him, then rushed over and threw herself in front of the little kitsune boy, glowering ferociously at the owner who glared back at her, stunned. "Leave him alone!" Her voice rang out, silencing blanketing over the market. "He's just a little boy!"  
Behind her, the boy whimpered fearfully.

The man blinked, and then curled a lip, snarling, "Out of the way, ya bitch! He's just gettin' wha' he deserves!"

Kagome ignored him, turning and looking down at the little slave boy, who also had a collar around his throat, though it was obviously considerably looser. "Are you alright, little guy?" She asked him, crouching down and patting his head. "Don't you worry, you're safe now-"

She broke off with a screech of pain as a whip cracked over her face, leaving a welt across her cheek. She jerked back in surprise as the kitsune cried out.

It was the new Seller, his eyes blazing with fury as he snarled, "You! A slave does not just run off!"  
Kagome scowled at him, keeping herself protectively in front of the younger boy, ignoring blood that dripped down her cheek. "I'm not a slave," she snapped.

Laughter among the slave owners rang out, and the Seller smirked, reaching over and jerking roughly on her collar. "This is proof, wench. You are a slave, and therefore you should act like one."  
Kagome shook her head stubbornly, spitting out, "No! Slaves are people, too! Leave us alone and do the work yourselves you bunch of lazy bastards!" She screamed out, looking over all the people that had gathered to watch the commotion. "You're all just too lazy! That's why people are sold! If you all just-"

_Crack!_

Kagome cried out in pain as she was suddenly shoved, cracking her head against the stony pavement. The Seller. "You obviously weren't trained before you came here," he snarled, jerking her up, ignoring the pain in her eyes as he twisted the collar on her neck, forcing her to the ground. Kagome yelped. To the man who owned the little boy, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, sir. Please forgive me and this worthless woman."

The man snorted, twirling away. The boy scampered after him, eyes full of terror. "Huh."

Kagome whimpered as the Seller pinned her down, planting his foot on her back. "And it seems you, bitch, need to be taught a lesson."

Kagome's face paled. She'd seen the results of a slave's punishment. And she certainly wasn't going down without a fight! Kagome ripped herself out from under the man, leaping nimbly to her feet. Her stormy gray eyes sparked with fury and she looked around her for an escape route.

_Crack!_

The horsewhip snapped next to her face and Kagome merely jerked back, her eyes blazing as she suddenly danced out of the way. She knew the movements of different attacks, having studied her father's training. She could do this. He stepped forward, drawing a large club he carried. Good, her father used clubs, too.

He twirled it, and Kagome immediately recognized the attack.

She danced to the side, ducking to avoid a huge blow to her face. Then back, forward, left, left, back, right, and…_smash!_ Kagome curled a lip as the Seller toppled over, eyes blank with surprise at the thought that a human woman had forced him down.

Neither was aware of the curious man dressed in the clothes of a monk watching cautiously from the back of the crowd, a sack of grain shouldered on one shoulder, and a Shakujo staff on the other. He watched, examining Kagome's movements for a few moments, nodding to himself until a woman looked curiously at them. He smiled longingly at her, then turned and walked away, noting the name he heard rippling through the crowd: _Kagome_.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome whimpered as she rolled over on the small bed in the 'cage' as the Seller had called. She gaped in pain as she jarred the cracked rib she knew she had, giving a sob and curling around herself. "Damn," she whispered, tears appearing. "What did I ever do to the Kami to deserve this?" She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head. "What did I do wrong!?"

"Hey."

Kagome lifted her head in surprise, shocked to see a dark haired man in monk clothing crouched before her cage.

"You're the one who challenged the Seller earlier, right?" He asked, giving a kind smile, violet eyes gleaming with amusement. "You are the first one to do that since a friend of mine did over three years ago."

Kagome watched him warily, sitting up and hissing when she jarred her rib again. "Did she win?"

The man snorted in amusement. "Hell yes, she did," he replied, "She was a demon slayer before she became a slave. She beat his ass black and blue then high tailed it before she could be caught. I found her hiding in an empty sack of rice and offered to take her to safety."

Kagome's interest sharpened and she crouched at the edge of the cell she was in. She ignored the sobs of other enslaved women. The place they were kept in was terrible, more like a prison. "Is that why you're here?" she said hopefully. "Please tell me you'll get me out of here. You don't have to take me home with you, I just want out and this thing off my neck." She looked at him with pleading gray eyes. "Please!"  
The man only shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Kagome. I can't help you there, but I thought you deserved a treat…" he offered her something and she took it, her eyes tearing up at the sight of a cake. "No need to thank me," he interrupted, holding his hand up as she opened her mouth to do just that. "You deserved it."

"Err, you know my name," Kagome replied, "But what's yours? So I can call you by your name?"  
"I'm Miroku," the man introduced with a soft laugh. "It's nice to meet you Miss Kagome."

They shook hands through the bars.

"So why did you bother coming if you're not going to help me escape?" Kagome said softly, taking a ginger bite of cake and beaming as its sweet taste rolled across her tongue.

Miroku's violet eyes saddened at the look of utter enjoyment on her face. It was sad that most slaves were so happy about such minor things, though he knew for certain that this young woman was more than just a slave. "I told the Seller to keep a hold on you," he replied. "I, myself, was a slave until my now close friend rescued me. He's…rich, and is interested in you."

Kagome lit up at the thought. "That's good," she sighed in relief, "Please tell me he's nice at the very least!"

"He has his moments. He can be a stubborn, violent, inconsiderate jerk." Miroku said with a laugh, grinning as he added, "But he would never touch a woman, let alone beat her unless she really, really deserved it. He's only done it once, and that was to the demon slayer girl. She freaked out and tried to kill him, thinking he was out to kill her. In return, all he did was hit the back of her head, take the collar off, and ordered the rest of us to take care of her until she woke."  
Kagome nodded slowly, giving a sigh of relief. She took another bite of her treat, tilting her head. "So what's the name of your friends?" She asked.

Miroku chuckled. "The demon slayer girl is known as Sango. I think you'd like her. Then you have two friends of ours, Koga and Ayame. They're mates. There's Rin, who's a ward to the person who bought her, and then there's also Kirara, Sango's companion. Myoga and Totosai…"

Kagome's eyes widened at all the names. "That's a lot of people," she whispered, biting her lip.

"Yeah," he replied. "But we're all practically family."

"Which one's the one that rescued you?" She asked eagerly.

"Not any of them actually," Miroku said slowly, "But he said not to give any of his family or his names'. Sorry, Kagome-chan. But, anyways, I told the Seller to treat you right. My friend would be very…unhappy if you arrived at our home with any injuries or something of the sort."

Kagome smiled faintly as he stood up, her eyes widening. "Wait, you're leaving!?"

"Got to," Miroku replied, brushing off his robes and picking up his staff. "I apologize, Kagome-chan. I'm needed by Sango and the others to prepare for dinner. We may be more of family or friends to the people that purchased and rescued us, but we're still expected to help out. Especially considering how my friend's mother is the way she is…"

Kagome whimpered softly, her gray eyes panicked. "Please don't." She pleaded her face paling. "I don't want to be alone again."

Miroku smiled sadly, reaching through the bars of her 'cage' and patting her on the head affectionately. "Don't worry, Kagome-chan, you'll be fine. I'll come get you in a couple days, okay? Just relax for a while." He gave a finally smile, then turned and walked away.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome glared furiously at the person who was apparently supposed to 'train' her for her new 'master', her eyes sparkling with tears as she rubbed the newest sore spot on her cheek, which already had a massive bruise on it. "Damn it," she cursed, spitting blood on the ground.

This immediately resulted in a foot in her back, shoving her to the ground. "Slaves do not speak with such words," he snarled, smirking down at her.

"I'll speak how I-" she cut off with a shriek as pain raced up her side, a kick being planted in her side. She cried out in pain curling up in a ball.

She hated it. She just wanted it to end.

She was tired of waiting for Miroku, who had been supposed to rescue her.

She was tired of being beaten for the past month.

She was tired of pain.

She was tired of blood.

She was tired of _life_.

And with that, Kagome snapped. Her stormy eyes lost their defiant glow and Kagome went silent.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

A young woman stepped into the slave market, her brown doe eyes sparkling as she stretched, popping the bones in her back with a content sigh. It had been quite a long time since she'd been here. Yelling caught her attention and she glanced over her shoulder, wincing at the sight she found. A wolf demon was screeching at an elderly looking woman.

She'd forgotten how bad it could be here.

She made her way through the market, the silk she wore brushing against the ground, the crest that hung around her neck telling others that she meant business. She stepped up to a man who stood before a large plot of land. "Are you the local Seller?" She asked.

"Hai," the Seller agreed, looking over her body. Her eyes snapped furiously and she snapped, "Look the other way, buddy, I've got fists and aren't afraid to use them."

The Seller's gaze snapped back to hers and he said, "What can I do for you, miss?"  
"I'm here to…purchase," she said slowly, using the harsh language of slave owners. "on behalf of a friend of mine. He was unable to come himself and sent me ahead. He said a slave that was young and…female would be preferable."

The Seller narrowed his eyes. "We only have one of those, miss. And she's already said for-"

The woman's eyes filled with surprise, and then panic. "I'll double their price," she hissed.

"I can't do that…" he said uncertainly, obviously unwilling to do so. "She's already got quite a price on her…"

"I'll triple it. My friend really wants this."

"…fine, I shall replace her with a suitable one for the other man," the Seller finally agreed.

"Arigato!" She replied cheerfully, beaming as the man led the way into where the slaves were kept. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the place. Her eyes hardening she said, "You should clean this place up and give the slaves better treatment," she told the Seller. "The Silver Queen, I've heard, is sending someone to close down all places like this as soon as she passes the law that all slaves are to be treated as people and not as animals. Anyone found with places like this will be sentenced to death."

The Seller's eyes flashed with panic. "I suppose I will be fixing some things around here then," he replied.

"You better," she said darkly.

"I'll be back, stay here," the Seller ordered firmly. He pulled out a HUGE set of keys, and then disappeared as he walked around a corner. The woman folded her arms impatiently, brushing some brown hair out of her eyes.

"That bastard owes me big time," she hissed to herself, "I just spend three times as much as I told those two I'd spend. He's going to fucking kill me for this…"

"Here you are."

Her eyes flickered up with surprise, and then shock.

The girl he shoved forward was nothing like Miroku had described.

Instead of the stormy gray eyes with fury and determination, all she saw were dull gray orbs. The young woman had dark bruises along her cheeks and jaw, as well as her arms and legs. She staggered when the man shoved her with a smirk. She clinched when the older woman reached out to help her stand, her eyes flashing with panic as she braced herself for pain.

And the worst part?

The collar around her neck was tied so tight, that blood leaked from under it. The woman could easily see it was infected.

In an instant, the older woman had whirled on the Seller, shrieking, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER!?"  
The Seller looked stunned. "She was recently trained to obey. That's all."

The woman practically snarled as she whispered, "This is ridiculous! How dare you do this to this poor girl! You don't deserve any of the money you earn!" She turned to the girl, gently saying as she lightly touched the girl's arm, ignoring her flinch, and guiding her in the direction of the exit. "You must be Kagome-chan," she said gently. "Come along, Kagome-chan; let's get you to your new home. I swear you'll be safe there, okay?"  
Kagome just looked at her with dull gray eyes, wary.

"HEY!" The man roared, furious. "You owe me money!"  
"The Silver Queen herself will be notified of this," the woman hissed. "I hope you know that. She may not know, however, if payment is not required. The purchaser is, after all, the son of the Silver Queen."

The man went silent at this, eyes wide with shock as the woman guided Kagome away.

"Don't you worry," she told Kagome, "You're safe now. You won't ever be treated badly again, okay? I'm Sango, a friend of Miroku's. He was very sorry he couldn't come to fetch you," she said gently.

_Sango…_ the name rang a bell somewhere in Kagome's head but she didn't acknowledgement, refusing to. Sango smiled, raising a hand to pat her on the head. Almost instantly Kagome had flinched back, whimpering softly, "Don't hurt me! I didn't mean to!"  
Sango stared at her, stunned into absolute silence. "Kagome-chan, I'm not going to hurt you." She whispered, her eyes growing sad. "I'm so sorry that you feel as if people are going to purposely hurt you every time. That's our fault for not getting you out of there sooner. Miroku will be very upset."

Kagome blinked slowly. "Miroku-sama was supposed to come help me," she mumbled.

"He didn't come himself, but he did help," Sango told her with a gentle smile. "That stupid perverted man sent me in his stead. He had things to do, I know, but he was honestly very worried about you. I must admit, I was very jealous for a while there until he said he was concerned that you were being treated right and that he didn't long for you in a romantic way."

Kagome stared at her; her gray eyes flickered for a moment. "You were…jealous? Of me? Why?"  
Sango smiled as she led her newfound friend through the streets and roads. "My friend, I wasn't jealous so to say, I was worried that he'd hit on you and I'd have to beat him to make him leave you alone. Every time he sees a lovely woman he decides he has to 'meet' the said young woman."

Kagome gave a hesitant and faint smile. "I…I see," she stammered.

Sango laughed, looking at her with amused brown eyes. "Come, Kagome-chan. It's time for you to come to your new home."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

**A/N: Okay, so I'm not really proud of this chapter for some reason. X_X But I hope you enjoyed :3**


	3. Removing the Collar

Kagome looked around, hiding behind Sango with a terrified expression as they approached a massive castle. The castle was made of white bricks, seeming to have a goal of blinding her in the sun. Large columns and such seemed to touch the sky and stairs spiraled around the towers she could see. Some towers had balconies that opened to the sky, while others had more bars blocking things off. "Wow," Kagome breathed.

Sango chuckled, shooting the young woman an affectionate look as she replied, "Wow is right. This is the Takahashi Palace. "The Silver Queen and her mate live here, as well as Sesshomaru, the Queen's step son, and Inuyasha, her real son and the one who Miroku convince to 'purchase' you. But don't worry, you won't be a slave. You'll be a servant. You'll get paid and that horrendous thing will be taken off your neck." Sango paused to inspect the collar that was around Kagome's neck, giving a low whistle. "That thing's on there tighter than mine was. Inuyasha's _not_ going to be very happy about this."

Kagome tugged at her collar, grimacing. "I'll tell you that I'm not very happy about it either," she muttered with a huff, scowling. "It _hurts_."

"I bet," Sango agreed, patting her arm soothingly. "Come on, Miroku's waiting. He wanted to come and fetch you for Inuyasha, but Inutaisho gave him a job and he couldn't refuse it. So I went instead, I hope that's alright."

"It is," Kagome reassured, giving a faint smile, her voice soft. "Nothing wrong with you coming to get me. Just…not what I was expecting."

Sango grinned, holding her money pouch. "Of course, I had to pay a lot more dwel than I thought I'd have to. I don't know how happy our money tracker, Myoga, is going to be. He hates it when more money is spent then less."

The young woman following the elder one scowled. "Well then, he shouldn't have handed out money for me to begin with then," she scoffed, frowning.

"Oh, don't worry," Sango said. "He'll be irritated, but it was a direct order from the Silver Queen herself. So he can't complain about it."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kagome said, holding up a hand, "I thought it was Inuyasha-sama's choice!"

"Well, sort of," Sango admitted. "It was also Inuyasha's. Inuyasha had to convince Izayoi to let him purchase another slave. You see, Takahashi Palace doesn't have all that many places left, so she wants those the family purchases to be special, and have some hidden value in them." Sango gave a rueful smile. "We are, after all, on the brink of war with the Kumo family and the Ryuu."

Kagome blinked in surprise. "We're going to war with the Ryuu?" She gasped, shuddering. "What about the Ookamis? And the Higurashis? Are we going to war with them, too?"

"No, definitely not the Higurashis," Sango said firmly. "The Higurashis are on our side and even us out since they have many demon slayers. They wouldn't dare anger us, considering the Higurashi Princess is engaged to Inuyasha. Not that he's very happy about it. But he's the one who has to marry her since his elder brother is waiting for little Rin to grow up."

The younger woman frowned at this, tilting her head curiously. "He's waiting for…why?"

Sango's smile softened and she said gently, "Sesshomaru seems to have found he's fallen for Rin despite the fact that she's a little girl. He's waiting until she's older to court her, seeing how she's a human and he's a demon. And then…if Inuyasha hasn't married by the time she turns eighteen, she becomes the Silver Queen."

Kagome's eyes widened. "He wants to marry a little girl?" She choked out.

"Hai," Sango said firmly. "But when she's older. At the age of eighteen years, he will begin to court her. If she agrees, he'll marry her."

"That's…interesting," she murmured, her gray eyes still curious.

"Yes," Sango agreed. "Now! Let's introduce you to some people as we pass them on our way up to my quarters, and then get you some new clothes, ne?"

Kagome's eyes became wide. "You'll give me some new clothes?" She whispered, tilting her head. Then a smile flashed across her face, the first real one that Sango had seen. "Thank you…thank you so much! I haven't had new clothes in…" she faltered, becoming thoughtful as she tried to think. "A long time," she finally finished.

"Poor thing," Sango cooed, patting Kagome's head with a grin. "Don't you worry; I've got plenty of clothes for you to try."

Kagome beamed, her eyes sparkling for a moment before dulling again. "Thank you, Sango-chan!"

Sango laughed. "Come on. We've got some people for you to meet."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

By the time they reached Sango's quarters, Kagome's head was spinning from all the people they had met on their way to the room. There was Totosai the smith, Myoga the accountant, Kaede the healer (she had liked Kaede, much more than she thought she would), the little Rin-chan, Ayame the messenger, and another messenger by the name of Koga, who'd she thought was annoying when he flirted with her.

When Kagome had met the little girl, Rin, she'd been astonished. The girl was only eight! Eight! And yet Sesshomaru-sama knew that as soon as she was eighteen years of age that she would become his wife!? Confused, Kagome had given Sango a confused and desperate look to which Sango replied, "Oh, I know it's strange to newcomers. But Sesshomaru's a demon, and a powerful dog demon at that. Dog demons have a great sense of smell."

Now, Kagome was feeling slightly overwhelmed at the sight before her. Sango grinned as she opened her wardrobe and revealed dozens of different clothing, some men's and some women's. "Wow," Kagome breathed, reaching forward and gently touching a cloth, eyes widening at the silkiness of it.

Sango chuckled, nudging Kagome towards a large room that held a tub. "Into the bath, young lady," she teased. "We can't have you seeing Inuyasha without being clean and attempting to clean up your neck…"

Kagome's eyes became wide and she jerked, looking at Sango. "You're going to take it off?" She said hopefully.

But Sango shook her head and all of Kagome's hopes faded until she said, "That's something Inuyasha will do. That's only if you pass his little test though. If you don't, he'll loosen it at the most and send you to another slave market."

Kagome's face paled and she whispered, "But you said-"

"I said he was nice," Sango said softly, "I did not say he was willing to put up with someone who might end up being the death of him. He puts a lot of trust into me and Miroku. Koga and Ayame and Rin…they were all raised in this castle. Miroku and I? We were outsiders and old enough to commit murder if we really wanted to." Her eyes hardened. "We went to Hell and back trying to prove ourselves to that man. You understand, don't you, Kagome? He needs to be sure that nobody will kill him or the Silver Queen. Or it'll be the death of us all."

Kagome flinched, and then hissed, "Why'd you even bother bringing me here then?" Her voice was challenging as she straightened, standing up to the older woman. "If you think I'm going to kill someone, then why'd you bring me back?"

Now Sango laughed, confusing Kagome as she melted into a smile. "You're hilarious, Kagome. Miroku saw you the day you protected that kitsune." Kagome's eyes grew round. "He liked the spark in your eye and you defended someone you didn't know and endured the punishment willingly for it without going down without a fight. Kagome, I'm positive you'll be fine. Just…say the right thing when it comes to Inuyasha and nothing bad will happen. If you get to stay, you can share my room with me."

Kagome stared at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Of course," Sango replied with a grin. "Now…go take that bath of yours."

Sango shoved Kagome to the tub and fixed the water so that it ran into it easily. Kagome blinked in surprise, the sound echoing in her bed. She frowned then shrugged off the faint memory and beamed; easily removing the tattered clothes she wore with Sango's help and carefully slipped into the water, making sure to not let her neck near it. She'd accidentally touched it once and that was not going to happen again.

"Kagome," Sango said firmly, "Your neck needs to be clean, even if your collar is still in place."

Kagome shot her a challenging look, spitting furiously, "Don't you dare touch it." She winced. "At least until it's off. It hurts like hell and I'd rather not have it messed with until the collar is off."

Sango tilted her head thoughtfully and nodded. "Perhaps this will convince the Silver Queen to pass the law that Totosai proposed…"

"What's that?" Kagome asked as Sango gently washed her hair for her, scrubbing her scalp to make it clean. Kagome grimaced at the dirt in the water. Yuck!

"Totosai," Sango replied, washing the soap out and redoing the washing of Kagome's hair, "asked the Silver Queen herself to make a rule that if a slave is to wear a collar, that it should be illegal for the collar to be tighter than necessary for showing possession of the slave. And that if a slave is to be branded with the owner's symbol that they may only do it on the forearm and it should come off if sold."

Kagome smiled slightly. "I like that rule," she said smugly.

"So do I," Sango agreed.

When Kagome had been cleaned and was ready, Sango helped her out of the tub and towards the large wardrobe. "Hm…" she said a gleam in her eyes as she looked Kagome over. "We need something that will make your gray eyes show even more…how about this?" She offered a simple red gown that brushed against the floor.

Kagome touched the material and gave a small nod. "Sure. I like it. It's soft."

They slipped it onto Kagome and Kagome looked down at herself, her eyes wide. "This is so pretty," she murmured, glancing up at Sango with a grin. "Thanks," she said again, eyes full of her gratefulness towards the other woman.

Sango waved her off, and then took a hair brush from the nearby vanity. Sango smiled, indicating Kagome should sit down and began working on her hair when Kagome obeyed. "You're hairs nice," Sango said lightly, surprised when the brush seemed to just glide through it.

Kagome frowned, shrugging. "It's always been like that. Even when it's nasty, I can just run my fingers through it easily."

"Strange," Sango mused, and then grinned, offering a hand helping her to her feet. She examined her work, narrowing her eyes at the collar. "Hm…everything but the collar is amazing. You look nice in that dress, you can keep it. Reds really not my color."

Kagome blinked. "Thanks," she said again.

Sango laughed, waving her thanks off as she replied, "Don't worry about it, and stop saying thanks. I'm doing this because I want to. I like you. You're a pretty nice person compared to some of the people I've seen…" she trailed off suddenly. "You know, you look like Kikyo."

Kagome frowned at this, tilting her head. "Who?"

"Kikyo, Inuyasha's soon-to-be wife," Sango explained, running a hand through her brown hair, narrowing her eyes. "Kikyo's a real _bitch_." Kagome winced at her choice of words, not used to the idea that Sango could say such words. "She fusses over Inuyasha and treats us like dirt. She sucks up to the Silver Queen, because if Inuyasha and she marry then Sesshomaru and Rin are pushed aside and she becomes the Silver Queen."

"Why would Sesshomaru and Rin get pushed aside?" Kagome asked, confused. She didn't understand; Sango had said that Rin was going to be the Silver Queen!

"Because Inuyasha's the true heir. You see, his mother is the Silver Queen, so it makes sense that his wife would become the Queen. Sesshomaru's Inuyasha's father's son, but they don't share a mother. Both brothers have different mothers. While Inuyasha is mothered by Izayoi, Sesshomaru's mother was the last Silver Queen, Inu no Kimi. She was a kind demon as well."

"I see," Kagome said slowly, giving a faint smile.

"Anyways!" Sango said cheerfully. "Let's go get Miroku and go to see Inuyasha, shall we?"

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

Kagome was practically glued to Sango's side as Miroku grinned, knocking twice on a large door before calling, "Oi! Inuyasha! We brought Kagome here to meet you!" Kagome cringed at her name and Sango reassuringly patted her head.

Kagome heard a grunt come from inside the room and she stiffened as a voice called back, "Well bring her in then, stupid."

Miroku shot Kagome a reassuring and warm look, violet eyes soft. "Don't worry, Kagome. He's not that bad, just give him a chance, kay?" Kagome gave a small nod, and he opened the door.

Kagome blinked in surprise. It was a massive room, yes, but it looked almost identical to Sango and Miroku's room. The only difference was that everything seemed to be cleaner, and there was a man spread out comfortably on the bed, golden eyes watching curiously.

Now Kagome focused on the man, examining him warily. This was quite obviously the famous Inuyasha, wielder of Tetsusaiga and the Silver Queen's son. His hair was brilliant silver, seeming to float around him as he sat up, tilting his head much like a dog would. Two small ears atop his head swiveled this way and that, catching tiny sounds, and his skin was tanned, as if he spent a lot of time outside. He wore simple clothes, and a sheathe with a sword in it hung at his hip. But what caught Kagome's attention was the most was his eyes; they were a dark, molten gold that seemed to bore into her stormy gray ones as she hid behind Sango, cringing slightly.

Inuyasha examined the young woman that hid behind Sango with curious eyes as he said, "So this is that woman you were talking about, Miroku?"

Miroku nodded with a grin. "Yep. This is Kagome," at this Sango nudged her forwards, completely revealing the said girl to Inuyasha. Kagome shot Sango a panicked look.

Inuyasha heard Kagome hiss in pain when she glanced behind her, and his ears pricked towards her, his eyes zeroing down on her collar, seeing the swollen flesh and the pus that oozed from an infection. In a flash, the young half-demon had leaped from his bed and landed in front of Kagome, examining her neck and glancing at her face before poking at the collar with a single claw. Kagome shot him a glare and a wince, but didn't respond otherwise.

"Hm…" Inuyasha mused, taking a small sniff and wincing at the smell of infection. His eyes narrowed and he rocked forward on the balls of his feet, his normal smirk on his face as he murmured in Kagome's ear, "Trust me?"

Kagome glanced over at him, her eyes round with surprise and a hint of fear. She hesitantly met his smoldering gaze, noting the smirk on his face as if he was enjoying this. Her gaze became guarded, but she nodded. For the first time, Inuyasha heard her spoke and his ears pricked, catching her words. She licked her dry lips, and then said softly, "Yes."

Inuyasha's fangs gleamed as he grinned. "Good." And then, ignoring Kagome's cry of pain, he gently tugged at the collar with his claw and smiled smugly as it fell to the ground. He crouched down, picking the collar up and tossing it at Miroku. Miroku easily caught it and Inuyasha ordered, "I want you to take that to Mother, and tell her that Sango's right behind you with the owner of the collar. Tell her I want that law I requested to go into order as soon as possible, and that Kagome here is proof. After that, Sango, you will take her to see Kaede and get that neck fixed up."

"Hai," Miroku and Sango agreed.

Inuyasha stepped away from Kagome and popped his neck. "Tomorrow, you two can take her to the market and get her whatever she wants. She deserves a treat after being treated harshly for a few months. Oh, and Miroku!"

"Yes?" Miroku sighed, raising an eyebrow.

"Forgot to tell you. Kikyo's coming again."

Instead of the disappointed reaction Kagome expected, Sango lit up in a brilliant grin. "Yes!"

Kagome looked between the trio, her eyes confused as Miroku said, "I'll get my violin out for after dinner. I'll tell Totosai to pull out his cello and Nazuna to bring out her piano with some help. Any particular songs you want?"

"The game," Sango and Inuyasha immediately responded, grinning at each other. "Make sure to do a new song for the game," Sango added. "Last time, everyone got bored of the old one."

"Of course," Miroku replied smoothly. "We'll do the Higurashi's Waltz."

"Got it," Inuyasha replied, then waved them off. "Now go take care of Kagome. After you're done, come tell me what Mother says."

"Alright," Sango replied, nodding at Miroku to lead the way out, gently tugging Kagome forward. But to her surprise, Kagome shook her head, standing firm as she twisted and said, voice soft, as she looked back at Inuyasha and said, "Thank you."

Inuyasha only blinked in surprise as she vanished out the door.

**~~OO~~II~OO~~**

Kagome hissed slightly in pain as Kaede, who'd turned out to be an elderly woman that was the healer of the place, gently applied some ointment to her injured neck. "This is terrible," old Kaede told Sango, "It is indeed a miracle she has survived this long with an injury this bad. Any other child, and I think they would have passed on by now."

"Well, I'm sure glad Kagome survived, then," Sango said firmly, smiling reassuringly at Kagome. "Hang in there, Kags, Kaede's really good. Your neck will be good as new before long."

"I know, I know," Kagome huffed, rolling her eyes. "You've been saying that since we got here, Sango."

Sango looked at her new found friend innocently, shoving a hand through her hair and pushing her bangs from her eyes. "It's the truth though," She replied.

Kaede began wrapping bandages around Kagome's neck, warning, "Don't ye dare take off these bandages, young Kagome. These are important and will help you heal."

"I know," Kagome replied with a sigh. "Hopefully it won't scar…"

She trailed off, her mind going back to their meeting with Izayoi, the lovely Silver Queen.

**((Flashback))**

_ "Izayoi," Miroku said as he bowed, smiling warmly at the Silver Queen before them. Sango and Kagome copied his actions, though Kagome was a bit clumsy and almost toppled over as she quickly did it. They straightened. "Izayoi, Toga, this is Kagome, the servant that I told Inuyasha about and we were allowed to rescue."_

_ Kagome smiled faintly, studying both of the royal figures. Izayoi wore a _junihitoe_, a kimono with many layers. Her long black hair was spread out about her like a black pool, and her dark brown eyes studied Kagome curiously like her son's had. Her skin was pale, but she seemed to glow with life and she reassuringly patted her husband's shoulder as he growled softly._

_ The Inu no Taisho stood behind her, his form stiff and his shoulders thrown back. His long silver hair, much like his son's, was tied in a high ponytail by a string of leather. His dark golden eyes were wary, ready to protect his mate and wife, and he had a thick and ragged blue stripe along his cheeks. His skin was as tan as Inuyasha's, and he wore a mokomoko upon his shoulders, the tails twitching, and he also wore armor that covered his shoulder and chest, protruding from said armor. A large sword rested at his back. _

_ Izayoi smiled softly at Kagome. "Hello, young one."_

_Kagome nodded a greeting, whispering, "Izayoi-sama."_

_ Izayoi laughed, telling her firmly, "Call me Izayoi. I don't like being called Izayoi-sama or Izayoi-hime or any of those other silly honorifics."_

_ "O-oh, okay," Kagome said, eyes wide with surprise._

_ Miroku interrupted now, saying, "Inuyasha told us to plead that you put Totosai-san's requested law into order as soon as possible with Kagome as proof. He offered the blood covered collar to the Inu no Taisho, who took it with narrowed eyes. _

_ Izayoi examined it as well; her eyes now sharp as flint as she moved over to Kagome and ordered, "Show me your neck."_

_ Kagome hesitated, and then tiled her head back, revealing the swollen and flushed flesh, flinching as Izayoi's eyes filled with fury and anger. _

_ "Oh my…I hope it doesn't scar… You may tell him his request has been granted," Izayoi said stiffly, then turned to her husband. "Toga, go throw that away please. Miroku, fetch Ayame and Koga as soon as they return. Sango, after you have taken Kagome to Kaede, take her to Rin and then go tell Myoga and Totosai to add this law to the Untouchables. _A slave may wear a collar as a sign of possession, but the collar must be loose enough to be able to not touch the skin._" Izayoi ordered._

_ "Of course," Sango said, and then nudged Kagome out of the room, Miroku moving with them._

**((End of Flashback))**

Kaede looked at Kagome sternly. "Ye are free to go, but do not move around too much, understood?"

Kagome nodded and Sango beamed, jumping down from the cot she had been sitting in. "Come on; let's get you to Rin so she can take you to dinner. I have to go track down Totosai and Myoga to add the law to the Untouchables-"

"What are those?" Kagome suddenly asked.

"The Untouchables are a set of laws that once a law is added to, nobody can take away a law or change a law. You can't touch them." Sango explained, and then continued, "After that, I'll come join the party."

"What party?"

Sango sighed. "Every time Kikyo comes, we can't eat with Toga, Izayoi, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha. We have to eat on the floor in another room. So in return, after dinner, we have a party. Miroku, Totosai, and Nazuna play music and we all dance. One of the best parts is towards the end. You choose a partner and Miroku picks one of the Five Dances. He picks the Takahashi Ecstatic, the Higurashi Waltz, the Kumo Jive, the Ryuu Round, or the Ookami Regency. When you hear one of these, immediately the game starts to see who can dance the longest."

Kagome blinked. "So that's what you and Inuyasha-sama were talking about earlier."

"Yep!" Sango said cheerfully. "Inuyasha and I have always lasted the longest, so I get to keep dancing with Inuyasha. As soon as someone defeats us, then the lady gets to dance with Inuyasha."

Kagome's eyes gleamed as she said, "I bet I can beat you, Sango."

"You need a good partner first," Sango replied back with a grin. "Find one of those first."

Kagome playfully swatted at her friend as they walked through a corridor. "We shall see," she replied easily. "Let's just go find little Rin-chan for now, kay?"

"Of course," Sango replied, leading the way to a door and knocking before opening it and peering in, calling, "Rin? You in here?"

A little girl beamed from where she was sitting at the side of a _massive_ dog, her brown eyes lighting up. "Sango-chan! Kagome-chan! Look, Sesshomaru-sama came home!"

"I can see," Sango said, giving the girl a fond look.

Kagome nervously eyed the dog demon that had its head resting on its paws, growling soft and glaring at the two women. It was fluffy, that was for sure, and had ruby red eyes that gleamed warily. It had magenta stripes on its cheeks and a crescent moon on its forehead. As it raised its head, Kagome noticed with a shock that the floor around his mouth had melted. "…hi," she said nervously.

Rin flew over, practically tackling Kagome with a giggle. "Kagome-chan, this is Sesshomaru-sama!" She introduced, waving at the massive dog demon who watched them. "Sesshomaru-sama, this is my new friend! Kagome-chan!"

Sango grinned, crouching down and saying, "Rin-chan?"

"Huh?"

"Would you do Nee-chan a favor?" Sango asked sweetly, smiling. "Kagome-chan needs someone to take her to dinner in a few minutes, but Nee-chan has to do Izayoi-sama a favor. Can you take her for me?"

"Yeah," Rin said happily, "I can. Sesshomaru-sama said he has to go soon anyways!"

Kagome couldn't help but say in confusion, "How does a giant dog talk?"

Sesshomaru snarled, and suddenly, he was a man with long silver hair and cold golden eyes. "I am not a dog, thank you; I am a demon that could slice you open."

Kagome flinched but Rin only laughed, patting Sesshomaru's arm. "Sesshomaru-sama's kidding," she told Kagome. "He wouldn't really hurt Rin's friend, right, Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Hn."

Sango sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I must go now. See ya later!" She disappeared out the door.

Kagome looked warily at Sesshomaru, then relaxed when the demon prince announced, "This Sesshomaru has business to attend to. Girl," he shot a sharp look at Kagome, "I put you in charge of Rin. If she is at all harmed when I return, it is you who shall pay the price." As he left, Kagome shivered.

Rin ignored this and beamed. "Come, Kagome-chan! It's time for supper!"

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Izayoi gave a gentle smile as she waved off her mate and husband. "Toga, go see to Sesshomaru. I know he wants to speak with you about something."

The Inu no Taisho sighed, pressing a kiss to her hair as he murmured, "Hai," and disappeared out of the room.

Izayoi watched him leave, and then shoved a hand through her thick black hair. Then she smiled, moving over to a set of sliding shoji doors, nudging them aside and peeking in, murmuring, "Hikari? Are you awake?"

A woman who lay in a futon, her eyes full of exhaustion as her body shook from the coughing she forced out. Her voice hoarse, she whispered, "Yes, I am, Izayoi. Come in."

Izayoi smiled sadly as she moved over and pressed her hand to the woman's forehead. "You have a fever again, Hikari. Did you take the medicine Kaede gave you earlier?"

Hikari groaned. "Yes, it was-" she broke off, choking as she coughed. Izayoi soothingly rubbed her back and Hikari pulled her hand away from her mouth, coated in blood. Hikari grimaced, and Izayoi offered a cloth for her to wipe the blood off with. "It won't be long now before I join my daughter in the other world," she whispered.

"Don't say that," Izayoi scolded, stroking her companion's hair affectionately. Hikari leaned against her. "You know as well as I do that we just need to get rid of that stupid poison."

"Ah, but it's already gotten to my heart," Hikari rasped.

"Let's discuss something else," Izayoi said firmly. "Tell me about your daughter."

Hikari gave a rueful smile. "Ah, my little birdcage," Hikari rasped, a soft and affectionate look on her face. "Jakobe would have been proud of her. She fought to keep me with her, even when she was so young."

"Why don't you return to Jakobe?" Izayoi encouraged. "You should see him before you pass."

Hikari raised her hand, shaking her head. "No, he believes my daughter and I to be dead. He has Kikyo-chan as a substitute for my daughter. Me reappearing would mess it up. I would like to see Souta, but I cannot."

Izayoi smiled gently. "Tell me more."

"We were taken from the castle by…" she trailed off, shaking her head before continuing. "Ah, I will not tell you that. But we were taken, and I was almost immediately sold into slavery. My little birdcage fought tooth and nail, but we were separated. I haven't seen her since."

"Poor thing," Izayoi murmured. "Perhaps she's still alive…?"

"Perhaps somewhere," Hikari agreed. "My Kagome was a very powerful girl. She had miko powers and was just being beginning her training when we were taken."

Izayoi blinked. "What's her name?"

"Kagome," Hikari replied.

Izayoi soothingly stroked Hikari's hair as she coughed, quivering and shaking violently from the pain. "My dear Hikari," she murmured, her eyes warm, "Tomorrow, one of your wishes will be granted. But for now, I want you to rest. It is not good to stress yourself out…"


	4. After Dinner

Kagome took a bite of her food, her eyes sparkling with happy tears as she returned from asking politely for thirds, complementing the cooks on their cooking despite Miroku's suggestion that she not eat too much, for she had not eaten much in the past few months. "You'll get sick," He had told her. "And it's not good for you, Kagome."

Kagome had, of course, ignored him.

Now, she re-joined her companions. She had sat by herself in a corner, and had quickly been surrounded by Sango, Rin, Miroku, old Kaede, Totosai (Kagome had found him quite amusing in his bickering with Myoga), the said Myoga, a red haired wolf demon named Ayame, and another wolf demon by the name of Kouga, who Kagome found to be quite uncomfortable around, as he found the need to flirt with her every few moments.

"Wow, Kagome-chan," Rin said, sounding impressed as she finished her first plate. "Rin didn't expect you to be so hungry."

"When you're older, and Sesshomaru-sama decides he can tell you," Miroku told her, "You will understand why Kagome is so hungry. Remember, you were like that once as well."

"Not her," Kaede objected, her old voice full of wisdom as she sat between Totosai, who'd been complaining about headaches to her, and Rin. "Rin was raised during the time of Izayoi. Ayame and Kouga, and I as well were raised during the time of Kimi. Totosai is the only one who has suffered the same hunger you three have," she said slowly.

Rin turned to Totosai expectantly, eyes gleaming as she waited for the story that Kaede's words promised.

Totosai sighed, shooting Kaede a dark look as he spoke thoughtfully. "About eight hundred years ago, when Toga was just a pup, his mother reined. She was a sweet and kind lady, but her husband was a harsh old fellow. That old man…whew," Totosai paused here, giving a huge sigh as he continued in his stern tone, "I warned him he'd be killed. He didn't listen and ended up in the ground for it. Foolish man.

"Toga's father was the start of all this slavery mess, he was. Many men were in debt to him, so what did he do? He suggested they just sell themselves to him! They agreed and he put collars on them as a joke. Then, greedy for the money, that old man was, he sold their families, too! The other rulers caught on, they did. They did the same thing!

"The slave market was then born, as were those damn Sellers, trained just to beat us all silly! I remember being sold to the Ookami family when Toga turned three hundred years old. By then, he was like a son to this old man, and I felt terrible about leaving him.

"But only six months later, that boy came 'round, announcing that his father was dead as was his mother, killed both by assassins. He quickly chose a mate by the name of Inu no Kimi, who became the next Silver Queen. Kimi was a much more independent and much a nicer to us all. She was the one that brought me home as a gift to the Inu no Taisho. Toga was a shocked when he saw me and old Hosenki –bless his soul.

"You see, Ookami-sama hadn't had much money to feed us very well, so we hadn't eaten in months. Hosenki died after we were brought a home. But I stayed here and have been here since."

Rin's eyes were wide with wonder at Totosai's story. Kagome was just plain confused because of the way old Totosai spoke. She liked the old man…but no way did she understand a word he said!

"Wow," Sango said softly, stunned. She'd never heard the old man talk of this. "How long have you been here, Totosai-san?"

"Oh, I'd a say…" he scratched his head, looking at Myoga. "What? Nine hundred something years?"

Kagome's eyes widened and she gasped, "Oh my gosh!"

"But I've never been a slave here," Totosai said firmly. "I've forged Toga, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha's swords. I oversee most of the things Izayoi does. She's a good Silver Queen, she is. It's a good life here."

"It is!" Little Myoga agreed, bouncing up and down.

Sango and Miroku and Rin also agreed, while Kagome was uncertain. "I'll decide that for myself," she said to them, finishing her third plate. She climbed to her feet, giving a smile as she said, "I'll help you pick up for the party, Sango, and just let me go give this to the cooks…"

"Of course," Sango said, waving her off with a smile.

Kagome slipped away from her friends, her eyes slightly sad as she went over Totosai's story. The demon had been able to serve the people who'd saved him for nine hundred years. She wouldn't mind that; she'd love to in fact! But…

Kagome was only human. She'd die within ninety years if she was lucky; less if there was a war coming soon. She smiled, handing the cooks her plate before hugging herself as she walked back in the direction of the group. Time to start cleaning up for the party…

By now, most of the people had filtered out of the large dining room, leaving behind some dishes and messes –mostly from children. Kagome joined Sango as the woman began to pick up dishes. Meanwhile, as Rin and Ayame and Kouga joined in picking up the dishes, Kaede returned the Healing Ward, and Myoga went with Miroku, Nazuna, and Totosai, who were going to pick up their instruments.

When the room was empty except for the people picking up, Sango said, grinning, "The fun part is when the start warming up, that way we have music to listen to while we clean."

"Yeah!" Ayame agreed, her eyes sparkling. "Sometimes we get lucky and Miroku practice the dance he chooses for the game. Then we all get a sneak peak!"

"Today it's the Higurashi Waltz," Sango replied. "Miroku told us and Inuyasha when we introduced Kagome to him earlier."

"Oooh, Kouga and I are good at that one," Ayame said with a grin, her green eyes sparkling as she stood with a large stack of dishes in her arms. "Do you know the steps to the Dances, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome tilted her head, watching as Nazuna suddenly backed into the room, snapping, "Damn it, don't you dare drop my piano, Totosai, Akio." Totosai and a red haired man slowly backed into the room as well, each huffing as they hauled a piano between them. Next came Miroku, holding both a violin case and a cello case, shooting a grin at Sango as he passed her.

Sango merely blushed and avoided his gaze, handing the cooks her stack of dishes before wiping her hands on her skirt, giving a shy smile as she returned to Kagome's side and Kagome raised an eyebrow at her. "He wants me," Sango said simply, "And he's a pervert. I told him maybe after he gets rid of his bad ways."

"You did?" Kagome said, surprised.

"_Maybe._" Sango stressed, "I told him _maybe_."

"Which will someday be a yes!" Miroku called, grinning as he glanced back at them, setting up the instruments to his liking.

Music suddenly filled the air as Nazuna sat, inspecting her piano and beginning to play a few testing notes of a song she could remember.

Something struck Kagome and she froze her eyes wide with curiosity as she watched Nazuna stop and grin. Kagome shoved her stack of dishes at Sango and practically floated over to the girl, her eyes still widened. "Nazuna-san?"

Nazuna glanced up, her eyes curious as she looked at the new member of their family. "What is it, Kagome?"

Kagome hesitated, and then said slowly, "Could I…?" She waved at the piano, the notes still ringing in her head from when Nazuna had been playing. "Please…?"

"Oh!" Nazuna smiled, moving from the bench and waving Kagome forward. "You know how to play?"

Kagome looked uncertain as she seated herself on the bench and at the piano, running her fingers over the keys. "I think so…I don't know…I…I can't remember playing a piano before, but I do remember at the same time…" She looked up at Nazuna. "You were playing the song "Dearest", right?"

Nazuna looked surprised. "Yes. Were you born in the Higurashi Lands? The song originates from there…"

"I think so," Kagome mused, laying her hands on the piano. "But my father moved us to the Kumo Lands before he sold me. I think I'm grateful for getting sold though…" She smiled, and then her hands were flying across the piano as the song started, copying Nazuna. She faintly remembered her mother's warm hands, leading her carefully in a slower way across the piano.

Sango's eyes sparkled as she continued to clean again. In a hesitant tone, she gently began to sing, her tone quivering, but growing stronger as she began to sing the lullaby.

"_Hontou ni taisetsu na mono igai subete suttee_

_Shimaetara ii no ni ne_

_Genjitsu wa tada zankoku de."_

Ayame grinned, joining in with her soprano voice high, crisp, and clear.

"_Sonna toki itsu date_

_Me o tojireba_

_Waratteru kimi ga iru."_

Rin beamed, also joining in with her high pitched voice, unbalancing the voices that were already singing. Kagome hid a smile, shooting Miroku a grin as he pulled his violin out, resting it against his cheek and drawing the bow across the strings of his instrument, assisting in keeping the music louder than the voices. He shot Totosai a meaningful look as the old man sighed and pulled his cello out.

Kouga just stared at the women in surprise, then smiled slightly as he joined in, dumping the last of the dishes in the cook's area,balancing the women's voices with his own rich tenor.

"_Ah Itsuka eien no nemuri ni tsuku hi made_

_Dou ka sono egao ga _

_Taema naku aru you ni._

_Hito wa minna kanashii kara_

_Wasurete yuku ikimono dakedo_

_Aisubeki mono no tame_

_Ai o kureru mono no tame dekiru koto."_

Kagome grinned to herself as her hands continued to float up and down the piano with the help of Nazuna, who'd joined in with the piano as well, playing the same as Kagome, but in the lower notes so that they were the same in different tones.

Nazuna winked when she noticed Kagome's glance and Kagome laughed.

"_Ah Deatta ano koro wa_

_Subete ga bukiyou de_

_Toomawari shita yo ne_

_Kizutsuke atta yo ne._

_Ah Itsuka eien no nemuri ni tsuku hi made_

_Dou ka sono egao ga_

_Taema naku aru you ni_

_Ah Deatta ano koro wa_

_Subete ga bukiyou de_

_Toomawari shita yo ne_

_Tadoritsuitan da ne."_

Kagome and Nazuna and Miroku all played until the last note. Kagome grinned, beaming at the piano. "Ha! Knew I could do it!"

"You want to play music with us tonight?" Nazuna asked, her own face a huge grin as Sango and Rin and Ayame all called praise to the new member of their family.

Kagome hesitated, considering this. "…no, thanks," she said, "I want to dance. I like dancing, it makes me feel happy and like I'm doing something correct. Besides, I haven't danced in almost two years. I want to see what I can remember."

Nazuna looked slightly disappointed. "Alright then."

"Come on, Kags!" Sango cried, "Let's clean ourselves up and get ready!" She grabbed Kagome's arm and pulled her from the room, heading for her chambers and brushing past a surprised looking and familiar looking silver haired half-demon, who blinked after them in confusion.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome took in the party with a gasp of surprise as she and Sango appeared in the used to be empty room. Now people were dancing and laughing as Miroku, Totosai, and Nazuna all played their music. Right now, a fancy and upbeat song was playing, and everyone was hopping around to keep up with the fast pace.

"This is fun!"

Kagome jumped in surprise when Ayame appeared beside her, green eyes gleaming. "It is," Kagome agreed, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw a familiar with long black hair escorted by an armored silver haired demon whisk by, her face bright with laughter. "Is that…?"

"Izayoi and Inutaisho enjoy these, as well." Kouga said as he appeared beside Ayame, his eyes sparkling as he wound an arm around the wolf youkai's waist. "Sesshomaru's here with Rin as well. The only one not here is Kikyo because she went to bed."

"Who's Inuyasha-sama here with?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Sango," Ayame replied. "Since Miroku's playing his violin, Inuyasha usually escorts Sango. Especially since she beat him at the game."

"Have Sesshomaru-sama or Izayoi and the Inu no Taisho ever beat Inuyasha-sama and Sango?" Kagome questioned, glancing at the two wolf youkai.

Kouga shook his head, giving a sigh. "Sesshomaru dances with Rin, who gets tired quickly. Izayoi just likes to see her son smile when he wins so she purposely lets him win. Don't tell him though. He'll get mad."

Kagome gave a hidden smile, and then blinked in surprise when a smiling little boy appeared, looking up shyly at Kagome as he said quietly, "Kagome-san?"

"Oh!" Kagome gasped, crouching down to look into the boy's face. "Hello, Aki-kun. What can I do for you?"

Aki smiled hopefully at the young woman, saying shyly, "Can you dance with me, Kagome-san?"

Kagome giggled, taking the boy's hand and leading him out into the crowd of people, though flinching when someone raised a hand in greeting. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was.

"Inuyasha!" Aki cried, beaming up at the silver haired hanyou.

"Hey there, kid," Inuyasha said with a grin, though he gave Kagome a curious look. He's noticed her flinch. She definitely looked healthier and livelier then when she had arrived, but he could still see the haunted look in her eyes, and she flinched if you moved too quickly. "What are you two up to?"

"Kagome-san was about to take me to dance!" Aki said excitedly, clapping. The five year old boy looked slyly at the half-demon. "Are you gonna dance with Kagome-san?"

Inuyasha looked at Kagome with questioning eyes and said at the same time Kagome said "No", "If she wants to."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha in surprise as the Silver Prince smirked at her, his golden eyes gleaming as he took her 'no' as a challenge. Inuyasha gave a grand bow, looking up at her with a challenging look. "So, _Kagome_, mind if I steal you from Aki?"

Kagome's mouth gaped as she struggled to think of an excuse but Aki just nudged her forward, forcing her to take the half-demon's extended hand.

"Good," Inuyasha said smugly, straightening and pulling Kagome closer, saying, "Excuse us, Aki, we're going to do some dancing though. You can dance with Kagome after this dance, okay?"

"Kay!" Aki said cheerfully, proud of himself, and fled back to a woman's side.

Inuyasha kept Kagome's left hand in his right, and placed his other on her hip as he murmured in her ear, "Come on, Kagome, it's a fast song. You need to dance properly if you're going to dance with me."

Kagome glared back at him with a furious expression, her gray eyes stormy as she muttered back, obeying him and sliding her other arm up and placing her hand hesitantly on his broad shoulder. "I wasn't the one who made me dance with you, Inuyasha-sama. You are the one who wanted to dance. If you are going to complain about how I dance, then why bother dancing with me at all?"

Inuyasha blinked, surprised by her attitude. But he grinned, taking this as a new challenge. "Then let's dance, shall we, Kagome?" He said as Miroku's violin announced a peppy tune.

And they were dancing.

Inuyasha's half-demon strength and speed had Kagome racing to keep up as they bounced and leaped and twirled around the room. Eventually, a small smile appeared on Kagome's face as she somehow managed to keep up.

"Having fun now?" Inuyasha teased when he noticed Kagome's smile.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "It's hard to not have fun, Inuyasha-sama, when you're dancing at such a slow pace."

Inuyasha was surprised at this. "Slow? Wench, you're struggling to keep up," he growled. What was she talking about? Not even Sango could keep up with this pace! Though he had to admit, she was pretty good. She was keeping her breathing even instead of hitched like Sango's usually got, resulting in tiring her out. Kagome was also quick on her feet.

Kagome gave a grin, raising an eyebrow. "And I say you're slow. Speed up a bit, won't you?" As a show of her challenge, the girl stepped up the pace to the hanyou's, forcing him to speed up.

"You're fast," Inuyasha commented as they zipped by his half-brother and Rin, who laughed at the two of them.

Kagome didn't respond, focusing on keeping her breathing even.

Finally, the song ended. Applause rang out for the two as they stepped apart. Kagome looked around, obviously surprised by everyone's clapping, but smiling slightly none the less. She was panting for breath, her eyes gleaming. "That was fun," she decided.

Inuyasha smirked. "Told you so, wench."

Kagome flushed red and turned away, though she still held the smile. "Hm."

"The game's about to start!"

Kagome cursed, jumping and moving away when Sango appeared beside her, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Jeez, Sango!" She gasped, glaring at the other woman. "I would prefer if you don't pop out of nowhere and scare me half to death like that!"

Sango looked at her innocently as Inuyasha offered her his hand and she accepted it. Kagome was surprised at the pang of jealousy in her heart. "Sorry, I thought you'd seen me…" Now she became curious. "Actually, I was looking for you, too. Izayoi wants to talk to you for some reason."

Kagome's heart nearly stopped, her gay eyes widening and filling with fear. "Why?!"

"I don't know," Sango said with a shrug, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you haven't done anything wrong."

Inuyasha shook his head when Sango glanced at him. "I don't know." He replied, shoving a hand through his heavy silver bangs, golden eyes curious. "She must have a good reason to talk with you though. Usually she doesn't really talk with anyone specifically during the parties unless it's important."

"Where is she?" Kagome asked, looking at Sango.

"She's hanging out by the center of the floor with Toga and Sesshomaru and Rin. Last time I saw her, Rin and her were dancing," someone said as they walked past.

Kagome gave her friend and Inuyasha a faint smile. "I'll see you later then. Bye, Sango, Inuyasha-sama." She turned and made her way towards the center of the dance floor.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

Izayoi noticed her immediately the moment Kagome appeared behind her and glanced back at her, her sparkling dark eyes becoming serious as she murmured something to her mate. He nodded and she daintily took his arm. "Come, Kagome," Izayoi said with a slight smile. "I'm not sure if this is correct, but it's worth a try."

"Err, sure," Kagome said uncertainly, following Izayoi and the Inu no Taisho as they led the way out of the room. Once outside the doors, Izayoi told her husband, "Go back inside and keep an eye on your sons, alright?"

The Inu no Taisho snorted, saying sarcastically, "Izayoi," this was the first time Kagome had heard him speak and she was shocked at how deep his voice was, "I am sure they're perfectly capable of-"

_Crash!_

He sighed. "I take that back. Be alert, Izayoi, you never know who can get in the castle." He brushed his lips against hers and gave a gentle smile, ruffling her hair before slipping back inside, most likely to break up the fight that had occurred in the moments he was gone.

Izayoi waited until he was completely inside before telling Kagome, "Let's go." She began leading the way and Kagome noticed it was in the direction of her room.

Izayoi took a breath, and then said softly, "I have a companion who has a room within mine. The room she rests in was supposed to be mine, but she needed it more so I gave it to her. She was long ago injected with Kumo poison when she attempted to escape the Kumo castle, and managed to get away. But we all know how slow acting the Kumo poisons are. I believe she doesn't have much time left."

Kagome looked uncomfortable, shifting uncertainly. "Err; I don't understand what this has to do with me, Izayoi…"

"You'll see," Izayoi insisted. "I hope."

When they reached Izayoi's room, she ushered her further into the large chambers, walking up to a doorway and gently knocked on the sliding shoji door, calling softly, "Hikari? Are you alright?"

"Hai," a voice rasped. Kagome's eyes widened as the person inside started hacking, and Izayoi frowned, immediately pushing open the door and moving to the woman's side, gently running her fingers through her friend's short hair, soothingly murmuring to her. "What can I do for you?" Hikari asked.

Izayoi let out a breath of relief. "Don't scare me like that," she scolded.

"Sorry," Hikari's voice was warm as she spoke. "I didn't want to bother you again."

"That doesn't matter," Izayoi scolded. "Now, I brought someone I thought you'd like to meet." She waved Kagome over and Kagome hesitantly approached. "This is Hikari. Hikari, this is our newest member of the family…Kagome."

Hikari looked blankly at Kagome for a moment then spat, "Izayoi, get that girl out of here! If this is your kind of a joke, I don't find it funny at all!"

Kagome jumped in surprise, recoiling away with a hurt expression. She hadn't done a single thing! Why was she getting yelled at?

Izayoi blinked in surprise as Hikari started hacking, gently rubbing her back. "I-I'm sorry, Hikari. I just thought you'd like to meet her. You…you're always talking about your daughter, so I thought…"

Hikari scowled through her coughing, though she looked at Kagome curiously now. "…hm. You can leave, Izayoi, I'll call you back in when I need you."

Kagome was stunned. This woman was bossing _Izayoi_, the Silver Queen around! That was just begging for a death sentence! But Izayoi only smiled, recognizing the rough appreciation that now lined her tone. "Of course, Hikari." She stood, patting her friend's shoulder, then turned and ducked out, sliding the door shut.

Hikari turned to face Kagome and patted the spot beside her. Kagome obeyed, moving over and sitting beside her as instructed. "So you're the girl who is claiming to be the daughter of the old Higurashi Queen, hm?"

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Izayoi smiled slightly as she sat in her room, listening to the hushed voices of Kagome and Hikari as they talked. She quietly worked on the beautiful quilt she'd been weaving for months, smiling to herself. She was definitely proud that she had managed to –hopefully –reunite the two.

"Oi. Mother."

Her son's voice startled her out of her concentration. "Ah, Inuyasha," she said, "You startled me, don't do that."

Inuyasha smirked, gently swatting his mother's hands aside to fix a knot that had formed. "I was wondering why you suddenly called Kagome away. Is she really Hikari's daughter?"

Izayoi tilted her head. "I believe so. Hikari hasn't confirmed it herself."

"Huh," Inuyasha huffed, "Does Kagome know that she's her mother?"

"I think so," Izayoi said slowly. "I'm not sure. Kagome was separated from her mother at such a young age…"

Inuyasha tilted his head, his ears twitching as he struggled to hear the two's conversations. "I can't hear anything. Too quiet."

"Inuyasha," Izayoi scolded, swatting the back of his head. "Don't you dare try to listen!"

Inuyasha merely grinned, then glanced up as the shoji door slid open and a softly smiling Kagome appeared. "She's sleeping," Kagome told Izayoi, her voice soft as she closed the door.

Izayoi became concerned. "Did I make a mistake…?"

"No," Kagome said firmly, her voice warm with gratitude for the Silver Queen. "That was my mother. We were separated by my father when I was young. I'm very thankful that you could introduce us again." She suddenly lifted her hands, revealing a slim box. "She gave me this."

Izayoi's eyes widened. "She gave you the dagger?"

"Hai," Kagome replied with a soft look, stroking the box.

Inuyasha snorted, looking confused. "What's so special about a stupid dagger?"

Izayoi swatted his head. "That, Inuyasha, is the blade that killed the demon Magatsuhi, owned by Midoriko herself. I will not tell you how Hikari was able to obtain it, but that is a blade that many would kill for. You are definitely a special woman, Kagome, keep it safe."

"I will, Izayoi," Kagome replied with a nod. She smiled, and then bowed politely. "Excuse me, Izayoi, Inuyasha-sama. I must return to the dance…" she hesitated, then asked, "May I keep the dagger on me? Just so I feel that it will be safe?"

Izayoi nodded her approval. "You are welcome to. I know it has a sheathe. Hide it within your skirts."

"Hai," Kagome replied happily, giving a final bow, shooting Inuyasha a shy smile and then rushing out.

Inuyasha tilted his head. "You're letting the new woman carry a knife around?"

"I trust Kagome far more than I trust your fiancé," Izayoi replied simply. "You wouldn't be marrying Kikyo if some events hadn't happened and if I had another choice. But it was the only way to ensure an alliance after my people were accused of murdering the Higurashi Queen and her daughter."

"I thought Kikyo was the daughter," Inuyasha said confused.

Izayoi smiled. "No, no, Kikyo is the daughter's cousin, the daughter of the Queen's sister. Don't tell anyone I told you this, do you understand?" Her smile faded and her gaze darkened. "If you tell anyone of this, Inuyasha, you will put our family in danger, as well as the Higurashis."

"Hai, Mother," Inuyasha replied, giving a firm nod. "I won't tell anyone. I promise. Oh, and mind if I go to the market with Sango, Miroku, and Kagome tomorrow?"  
Izayoi raised an eyebrow, nudging him with an elbow. "You seem to have taking a liking to our little Kagome-chan…"

Inuyasha scowled, looking away. "I don't like that wench. I just want to go out, and I happen to like Sango and Miroku is all." He growled furiously, ears flattened against his head as he glared at his mother, as if he was horrified she'd even suggest that.

"Of course, of course," Izayoi said, ruffling her son's hair. He flattened it with his hands again. "Silly boy. You don't have to ask for my permission. Just go ahead and go. Don't take too much kol though."

"I know, I know," Inuyasha grunted. "Sango will need some dwel for her and Kagome though." He knew that the kol, the very valuable gold pieces, were needed in case a war started and someone was taken for ransom. Even if it was someone as simple as Nazuna, Izayoi would pay to bring them home.

Izayoi nodded in approval. "Understandable. Make sure Sango and Miroku don't spend so much."

"On it," the half-demon replied. His mother kissed his cheek and then sent him on his way.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome blinked her eyes awake the next morning, giving a small yawn as she sat up, stretching. She was resting on a cot that someone had brought up for her in Sango's room.

To Kagome's surprise, Sango was already up and moving with the sun, running a comb through her hair as she said, "Come on, get up, Kagome. We need to get ready so we can go to the market. Miroku and Inuyasha are coming with us, too."

"Why?" Kagome asked in confusion, getting up and moving to the dresser they now shared. She picked out a green dress, moving back to her cot and setting it down on the cot, removing her sleeping clothes and picking up the wraps for her breasts. She wrapped them around her chest as Sango explained.

"Miroku because of the pretty women that he'll see and Inuyasha wants to inspect the slave market, make sure it's not becoming like the Kumo ones."

Kagome shuddered, her face paling at the thought of the Kumo slave markets. "Good." She pulled on the green dress and Sango did the buttons in the back for her. "What's for breakfast?"

"We're going to grab a bite while we're out."

"Oh, okay," Kagome said. She reached under her pillow and pulled out the box that contained Midoriko's blade. She smiled, opening the box and removing the blade from the box to tie it at her waist.

Sango froze, her eyes widening at the sight of the weapon. "That's…"

Kagome blinked in surprise, straightening and letting the sheathe bounce against her hip. "What? This? My mother gave it to me."

"That blade," Sango croaked, dropping to her knees in front of Kagome, inspecting the dagger. "That dagger can only be wielded by the current descendent of the Higurashi line, Kagome. Kikyo wouldn't be able to touch it."

Kagome frowned, her face full of confusion until this dawned on her. Her eyes widened and her hand dropped to the dagger. "Can you touch it?!" She hissed frantically. "I am NOT of the Higurashi line! I was raised in the Kumo Lands, not the Higurashi Lands-

Sango shook her head, standing up. A soft smile on her face. "What I would like to know," she said slowly, "is how you and Hikari-sama ended up away from the castle when you were both supposedly murdered. We can see what Inuyasha knows on our way to the market. Miroku, too…."

Kagome glared at the woman, snapping, "Sango, I don't know what you're talking about! I'm originally a Kumo woman, not a Higurashi woman! I'm not!"

The elder woman narrowed her eyes firmly, studying the girl before her, saying slowly, "If you say so..."

Sango turned away, her mind racing when she saw Kagome touch the blade of Midoriko. If Kagome was the descendent of Midoriko herself, then things could definitely get messy. Jakobe would soon be looking for that blade to attempt to give it to his niece during her wedding to Inuyasha, as was tradition.

Sango groaned. Things were about to get crazy.


	5. Market Day

Kagome still wasn't sure what had possessed her to agree to go on a market trip to the market _on_ Market Day _with_ Miroku, Sango, and the Silver Prince himself. There was something wrong with her, she'd decided hours ago when they'd begun their walk. Inuyasha had refused to take a horse, meaning the rest of them had to walk, too. The walk didn't bother Kagome; in fact, it felt nice just to walk through the beautiful and bountiful forest surrounding the castle. It was the fact that Miroku wouldn't leave Sango alone that had her irritated.

"Miroku," the ex-demon-slayer said through gritted teeth, the hand that grasped her massive boomerang tightening on its strap. She was definitely tempted to drop it on the man's head as he once again attempted to put his arm around her. "If you touch me again, I will ask Inuyasha to tear you apart. And you and I both know he wouldn't mind."

Inuyasha smiled smugly, threateningly cracking his knuckles as Miroku glanced at him. Miroku gulped as he held up his hands, backing away only to nearly crash into Kagome. Kagome jumped in surprise, recoiling away and into Inuyasha's side, who growled angrily. The girl immediately jerked away, her eyes wide with fear.

Sango rolled her eyes with a groan, soothingly rubbing Kagome's back as she glared at Inuyasha, scolding, "You know better than to startle Kagome at the moment. It's like when you and Miroku first found me, she's scared of a lot of things right now-"

Kagome jerked away from Sango, her eyes flaring with anger as she snapped, "Don't you dare start saying how I feel! You don't know how I feel, so mind your own business." With that, Kagome stalked away, her temper flaring and gritting her teeth angrily.

Sango's eyes were wide with surprise as she said helplessly, "All I did was…"

Inuyasha sighed, shoving a clawed hand through his thick silver bangs, molten eyes watching after Kagome with a hesitant curiosity. "I know. You were like that when you first got here, too. You still are."

Miroku piped up, "And I like it that way!"

Sango finally allowed her massive boomerang weapon to fall and clash on top of his head. The man yelped in pain and surprise, reaching up to cover his head with a wince. "You never learn, do you?" She snapped, prying his hand from her rear.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome sighed, shoving a hand through her hair, her large gray eyes wide with distress and anxiety.

How had this happened?

Kagome had returned to her companions, and Inuyasha had shot her a raised eyebrow that was replied with a scowl. Soon after, they'd reached the Market. Kagome regretted agreeing to go, as this was the place where she'd been sent after being sold. Almost immediately upon reaching the Market, Sango dragged Miroku off to a booth and Inuyasha had tossed a bag with five kol in it before disappearing. Leaving Kagome all alone. In a place where she was obviously an ex-slave with the scars and bandages to prove it.

Kagome bit her lip, shifting nervously as she chewed on it. She shook her head, gave a heavy sigh. She then focused on what she was here for; she was here to shop for some clothes that she needed so that she wouldn't kidnap all of Sango's clothes.

Kagome gently pushed her way through a ton of people, her eyes wide as she realized just how many slaves were treated badly. One, a young man with a torn lip and black eye shoved his way past, frantic. A child scampered by, carrying a heavy barrel on her back.

Kagome could feel herself beginning to panic, and the girl forced herself to calm down. She had to stay calm and watch what she was doing. She murmured a quiet 'excuse me' to a man as she pushed her way past him, but the man grabbed her arm, jerking her towards him as he snarled, "Watch where you're going, bitch!"  
Kagome gasped as he shoved her away, nearly making her crash into a struggling slave. She grunted as she managed to pull away. Quickly apologizing to the slave, helping her pick up her dropped load, she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you."

The slave gave a faint smile, repacking the things she'd dropped before people could step on them. "Its fine," she said softly, replacing her load on her back. Kagome noticed with a start that her collar was just tight enough to hug her slim throat, but not pinching or rubbing. The girl noticed her staring and flushed. "I'm a slave," she admitted softly, "But it's not so bad where I live. My owner is kind enough towards us. He rewards us for good behavior…" she nodded at Kagome's neck. "You were a slave not too long ago, huh?"

Kagome hesitantly nodded. "Yes, but I was lucky enough to be freed by the Silver Prince himself…he took my collar off."

The slave smiled slightly. "That's nice. As kind as our master is, he'd never do that. We're too important to his home to do so-"

"Akiko!"

The girl's head jerked up and her eyes widened as she said, "Coming, Shuichi-san!" She smiled at Kagome, waving a farewell before darting after a man –the man that Kagome had run into, to be exact. The man studied Kagome curiously and Kagome shuddered in disgust as his eyes drifted over her body before he turned away. Kagome had a feeling she hadn't seen the last of this Shuichi guy.

The young woman continued on her trek through the Market, keeping an eye out for Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, or a clothing stall that she could purchase from. She finally found a suitable stall and examined the clothing, her eyes easily searching the cloths.

"What a lovely young woman," the old man that ran the stall said, beaming at her. "What can I do for you?"

Kagome returned the smile, hesitant as she said, "I'm looking for a few pieces of clothing to wear…"

The old man disappeared for a moment, and then came back with a beautiful dress that had white silk that drifted down from almost seeming woven gold. "How about this one? Only thirty dwel for it."

Kagome examined the lovely fabric, nodding slowly. "That's a good price," she decided, offering him one kol as well as taking the dress, adding it to the clothing she carried; she had picked out the dress, two tunics, and two pairs of simple pants. She preferred to go barefoot anyway. "Is this enough?"

The man's eyes filled with tears as he bowed, thanking her multiple times before saying, "You are such a kind young lady, thank you so much for your generosity, but this is way too much…"

"Nonsense," Kagome said, stunned, "Take it and buy yourself a gift."

The man thankfully looked at her with his tear filled eyes, whispering, "Thank you."

After this, Kagome decided it was time to go hunt down Sango or one of the others. She packed the clothing into her satchel, and then peered around, catching sight of a large group of people. Thinking maybe they'd seen Inuyasha, she forced her way through to see what was happening.

To her horror, it wasn't Inuyasha.

It was a man beating a whimpering and small two tailed cat, her red eyes full of pain and her tails lashing as she scrabbled to escape the man's powerful kicks. The twin tail met Kagome's gaze and Kagome immediately pushed her way forward, breaking through the barrier of people and throwing herself in front of the cat, her eyes flashing. "Stop!"

The man stopped just short of kicking Kagome, his eyes narrowing furiously. "Move aside, you stupid woman. This is a stupid Nekomata that deserves to be beaten for what it's done!"

Kagome scowled as the said youkai gave a pitiful whimper. "And just what did she do?" Kagome snarled, eyes darting around warily. Why, oh_ why_, was nobody coming forward like she had?

The man glared furiously, curling a lip to reveal fangs. Great. A youkai. Suddenly, he darted forward, fisting his hair in Kagome's hair and jerking her closer, sneering, "What did she do? She did this!" He waved his hand in front of her face and nearly smashed it into her face. There were claw marks lining his hand, barely bleeding.

Kagome cringed in pain, but didn't cry out, replying, "And what did you do to deserve it?"

_Crack!_

Kagome's eyes went wide with shock as the man's hand lashed out across her face before he shoved her away. She crumpled to the ground as he snarled, "Stupid bitch. You'll pay for that." Some of the crowd that had gathered smirked or laughed or grinned. Kagome just glared defiantly up at him, a chill running through her. This was like so long ago…

"HEY!"

A voice roaring over the quite chattering of people caught their attention and then Inuyasha was shoving his way through, golden eyes ablaze with fury. "Just what the _hell_ are you doing with my servant?"

Kagome cradled her cheek as the demon growled, rumbling, "Inuyasha-sama. I apologize; I didn't realize that she," he jerked his head towards her, "was yours." He smirked. "You should keep better track of your possessions."

Inuyasha growled, rubbing his temples. "I'll forget about this…idiocy and rudeness if you…" he glanced at the Nekomata, "give me the Nekomata demon."

Kagome gasped as the twin tail, which was sprawled out on the ground, her flanks barely rising and falling, mewed.

The demon was furious. "Hell no! She's the strongest slave I own! Stupid half-breed!"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, his ears flattening against his head. "You defy my orders?" He barked his eyes furious. He shot a look at Kagome, and then turned to a worried looking youkai woman, waving her towards Kagome. "You. Take Kagome and the Nekomata to Sango, would you?"

"Hai," the youkai agreed, bowing her head. She beckoned the slave at her side and gently picked up the Nekomata, leading Kagome away.

Kagome craned her neck to look back, eyes confused until she heard a pained screech followed by a small thud and blood spattered the air. Kagome's face paled and she gasped, gaping until the youkai woman gently jerked on her arm. "Come, we'll find your friend…Sango, was it? What does she look like?"

"She has long brown hair and is wearing a pink dress today," Kagome whispered, eyes round with shock as she took the Nekomata from the woman and cradled her to her chest. The demon cat gave a weak purr. "She's with a man named Miroku-"

"Ah, Miroku-kun," the woman sighed, immediately heading in a direction. "I know of Miroku, that hentai. They're this way; he and a woman were looking at some different knickknacks at my stall."

Kagome followed her, her mind racing.

Had Inuyasha seriously killed the man? She hoped not, even if he'd decided to beat her and the Nekomata. Nobody deserved the terrifying chasm that was the darkness of death. Kagome shuddered, burying her face in the Nekomata's fur. It lapped at her cheek daintily.

"Oh! Kagome!"

Kagome raised her head, realizing that tears had begun to stream down her cheeks. She wiped them away with a free hand, rasping, "Sango."

Sango smiled, shooting a look at the demon woman. The woman smiled, replying, her red eyes full of amusement, "Kagome-chan decided to save a demon slave from being beaten and got in the middle. Inuyasha-sama showed up and told me to bring Kagome-chan and the demon to you and Miroku-kun."

Miroku appeared beside Sango, his violet eyes, normally cheerful, dark with concern for the young woman he'd told Inuyasha to save. "I see," he murmured, glancing at the pale-faced Kagome, whose gray eyes were rounded. Then he turned his eyes on the Nekomata, hoping to distract her. "Is this the youkai you saved?"

Kagome gave a faint smile, nodding, "Yeah. I don't know what her name is, but-"

She was interrupted when Sango's eyes widened with shock. She reached for the Nekomata, whispering, "…Kirara?"

The twin tail twitched her tail weakly, though struggling to get to the ex-demon slayer.

"Kirara!" Sango gasped, confirming the Nekomata's name. "Oh my gosh, I thought…oh, Kirara!" Sango burst into tears, hugging the twin tail and cradling her to her chest. Kirara purred, weakly butting her head against Sango's chin. "I thought I'd never see you again…"

Kagome blinked, frowning. "You know this Nekomata?"

Sango nodded, smiling gently as she turned a grateful look on Kagome. "Yes, this is Kirara. When I was a demon slayer in the Higurashi Lands, before I was sold as a slave, Kirara was my close companion who went on every slaying job with me. When I was captured, she and my brother were as well. Kohaku was killed on the spot, though, and Kirara and I were separated when I was sold."

"So this is the great Kirara you told me and Rin about," Miroku mused, stroking Kirara's head. She flattened her ears but didn't move, closing her red eyes and snuggling against Sango with a sigh.

"I'm glad I rescued her, then," Kagome replied.

"OI!"

Kagome winced at Inuyasha's furious voice as he stormed over to the small group, golden eyes ablaze with furious anger as he shoved his face in Kagome's, snarling, baring his fangs, "What the hell is wrong with you?! Don't you know any better than to get involved in beatings between an owner and their slave?!"

Kagome gasped, recoiling away as he waved a bloody hand in the direction of where he'd been. "I had to teach the guy a lesson for defying the Silver Prince! Do you know how big of a pain that was?! I even had to kill him when he fought back! Why the hell would you cause all this trouble?! If I'd known you would cause this much, I would've left you in the Slave Market-"

"Inuyasha," Sango said sharply, tone cold, bringing his attention to her. She nodded at Kagome, and he returned his attention to her once again.

Inuyasha blinked, his ears flattening. Kagome had pinned herself against the side of the demon woman's stall, her face pale and tears streaking down her face. Her eyes were wide with horror and she was staring at the blood on his hand, her gaze flicking between his furious –and terrifying – expression and his hand. But when he spoke of leaving her in the Slave Market, her face went white, fear becoming evident in her face.

The thing that got to the half-demon Prince the most was the fact that she was crying.

"Why the hell are you crying?" He demanded, glaring at her.

She swallowed, choking out, "You…you killed him?"

"Course I did, I was just gonna lecture him but he had to attack me. I'm not gonna let him kill me. I was defending myself."

"You didn't have to _kill_ him," Kagome whispered, burying her face in her hands as a sob ripped from her chest. "Why would you _kill_ him?!"

Inuyasha became bewildered, looking at Sango, who shrugged as she stroked Kirara's matted fur. He reached over to touch the sobbing woman's shoulder, but she recoiled away from his bloody claws, rasping, and "Don't you _dare_ touch me."

The half-demon growled, narrowing his eyes. "I killed the guy that was threatening to beat you to death, and you wanted him to _live_?"

Kagome took a shuddering breath and raised her eyes to Inuyasha's, whispering, "Nobody deserves death, not even the worst of people."

Inuyasha blinked in surprise as Miroku nodded his agreement, his eyes sparkling, "Those are some wise words for one so young," the demon woman agreed, her own eyes gleaming. "This is a good one you have here, Inuyasha-sama, you should keep her around."

"Inuyasha, don't be too harsh on her about this," Sango added softly, "She rescued Kirara."

Inuyasha turned, immediately interesting in the twin tail and removing his gaze from Kagome. Kagome's legs gave out and if it hadn't been for the woman beside her, she would've crumpled to the ground. "Thank you…?" she whispered to the woman.

"Kagura, my name is Kagura," the demon replied, red eyes gleaming. "You are a very brave one, Kagome-chan. Make sure you keep that Inuyasha-sama out of trouble. Same goes for Miroku-kun," she added, shooting a hard look at the man as he flirted with her slave. The slave was blushing pettily, shooting a panicked look at her master.

Kagura reached into her dress, withdrawing a fan. "Miroku-kun, if you do not move away from Wakiko…"

Miroku scrambled away to hide behind Sango. "Sorry, sorry!"

"That's what I thought," Kagura said smugly, returning the fan to its place before turning her gaze on Kagome. She studied Kagome's face and gray eyes, and then said slowly, "Well, I'd better return to my home now. Good luck, Kagome-chan."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you for your help, Kagura-san."

"Of course," Kagura waved her off. "Inuyasha, take care of this one, she's a good child. If you don't, Sesshomaru's going to be called."

Inuyasha froze a grimace on his face. "Of course, Kagura," he mumbled, turning his face away, ears flattened against his silver hair.

Kagome frowned. "You two know each other?" she asked, forcing herself to avoid looking at Inuyasha and instead turned to Kirara, stroking the Nekomata's ears as Sango crooned to her.

"Oh, yes," Miroku chuckled, scratching behind Kirara's ear. Kirara purred at all of the attention she was receiving. "Kagura used to serve Sesshomaru quite some time ago. She asked to leave, however and was set free. She has a few slaves of her own, but she takes good care of them, just like our family does us. She still talks with Sesshomaru every now and then…but she left when Kikyo came."

"Speaking of Kikyo," Sango said, turning to Inuyasha, not bothered by the dried blood that still crusted his hands. "Is she gone? Or will she be here for any longer?"

"Kikyo's leaving at noon today," Inuyasha replied slowly, thoughtfully. He attempted to wipe his hands on his pants, sighed heavily when it didn't come off and began leading the way towards a pond he knew was just outside the village. "So tonight will be a normal night. But she's coming back in a few days so we can work out a few details. Jakobe's coming with her."

"I see," Miroku said, his eyes flashing with curiosity when Inuyasha shot Kagome a look that was full of knowledge-something Inuyasha, in Miroku's opinion, usually lacked. "So we'll be stuck in the other room for a few days is what you're saying?"

"With no parties," Inuyasha added, voice firm. They reached the pond he knew was there and immediately stuck his hands in the icy old water, rubbing them together to rid his hands of the reeking stench that covered them. Stupid demon. How dare they challenge his power? Inuyasha curled a lip as the demon's words ran through his mind.

_"So what if you're the great and powerful Silver Prince?! You're still just a weak and pathetic half-breed that's too weak to protect someone, and too terrifying for a human to care for! Ha!"_

Inuyasha growled, scrubbing the blood furiously. It hadn't been the demon's words about how much power he had that had set him off. It had been his words about Inuyasha being a half-demon, something he himself detested. He'd much rather be full demon, able to protect his mother when his father was unable.

It made it ten times worse that Kagome, who had trusted him enough to allow his claws near her throat the day before, was now horrified with him, terrified to top it off. He'd done what he always did. He meant to talk peacefully, but when the man had attacked, been forced to protect himself. Was something wrong with that?

He sighed, shaking his head to clear it as Sango groaned a pout on Miroku's face. "Jakobe, Kikyo, and Souta will each need a servant when they're here…Souta's coming, too, by the way. I'm going to send you three to take care of them if you don't mind."

"Sure," Sango said eagerly, her eyes lighting. While she didn't like Kikyo, Jakobe had a gentle soul and Souta was just plain fun, willing to play with everyone, especially Rin.

"Miroku, you can take care of Jakobe," Inuyasha instructed, straightening and wiping his wet hands on his pants. "Sango, you can take Souta if you want." He smiled slightly as Sango squealed. "Kagome, could you take Kikyo?"

Kagome hesitated, biting her lip. After hearing what Sango had said about the woman, she was uncertain. But she needed to prove that she would never hurt her new family. So Kagome nodded, her gray eyes showing her determination. "Sure. I'll take good care of Kikyo while she's here, I promise."

Inuyasha sighed in relief, giving a grin that showed his fangs. "Good. Let's head back so that you can get Kirara there to Kaede, and so that I can tell Mother that you three will be taking care of our guests."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

The days passed peacefully as Kagome settled into the active life of the castle. While Miroku and Sango spent most of their day assisting in cleaning the interior of the castle itself, Kagome preferred to spend her time outside with the family's large amount of horses. Many of the people had found it weird that a woman, let alone Kagome, would find interest in the massive animals, but Kagome had shrugged off their questions and become quite close with the animals. Even Sabējiburūto, nicknamed Sabe, who was the wildest horse that lived in the stables, adored Kagome.

Inuyasha, when he'd learned of this, had become interested, resulting in him studying as Kagome had played with the horse, encouraging it to trust her. When Izayoi had found out, she'd instructed that the horse be given to Kagome as nobody else could control it.

Putting these matters aside, Kagome was anxious about the day that the family had been anxiously awaiting since Market Day: the day that the king of the Higurashi Lands and his family would arrive.

Kagome bit her lip as other people scrambled to finish their duties, Sango at her side with Kirara in her arms. "Is it always this crazy when something this big happens?"

"Yeah, for the most part," Sango sighed, shaking her head as they saw Miroku dart past with clean sheets for the bed that Jakobe would be resting in. Sango giggled at this and Kirara purred, butting her head against the woman's chin.

Kagome sighed, shaking her head as she leaned back against the wall. She wore her nice dress, the one with white silk and seemingly woven gold, and Sango had woven some golden colored thread into her hair, which was in a side braid. "You have to look nice for Kikyo, or she'll hate you instantly," Sango had warned.

"Is Kikyo's room prepared?" Sango asked, stroking Kirara's head as the twin tail wagged her tails, happy to be with her companion again.

Kagome nodded, her eyes sparkling with determination. "Yes, I asked Izayoi if I could have some soft sheets for Kikyo-sama, and she gave me some of the nicest there is here. She even helped me put them on Kikyo-sama's cot!"

"That's nice of her," Sango laughed, allowing Kirara to jump from her arms. The twin tail wove around Kagome's ankles with a loud purr. "You'll have to help her unpack since they're staying for a few days this time. Good luck with that, she can be picky."

"They're here!"

The announcement rang out and everyone, Sango, Kirara, and Kagome included, immediately went to their positions. Miroku, Sango, and Kagome walked forward to greet the guests silently from behind where Izayoi, the Inu no Taisho, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru were going to direct them to their servants while they stayed at the Silver Queen's home. They stood in the shadows, hidden from view.

"Good luck," Miroku murmured to the two women with a grin.

Sango waved him off with a smirk. "I don't need luck. I just need Kirara to entertain Souta."

Kagome smiled slightly, and then looked curiously onward as Izayoi gave a sudden cry of, "Ah! Welcome once again, Jakobe!"

A man with black stubble on his chin and cheeks and blue eyes grinned as he walked in, greeting Izayoi warmly. "Hello once again, my dear Izayoi." To Kagome's surprise, he ignored the Inu no Taisho's irritated growl and bowed, kissing Izayoi's hand. "Thank you for allowing us to return- Souta! Stop that this instant!"

A little boy came scampering in, looking innocently at his father. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," Jakobe scolded his son, ruffling his hair despite his stern tone, giving him a loving look.

"Anyhow," Izayoi said, smiling slightly as she waved Miroku forward. Miroku walked forward, his face emotionless as he respectfully bowed his head. "This is the man who will be serving you while you are here, Jakobe. You remember Miroku, of course?"

Jakobe nodded, turning a cool gaze on the man. "Yes, the one who ungraciously begged my daughter to bare his child? I would hope you've pulled him out of those old tricks."

"He no longer says things like that, Jakobe-sama," Sango said, stepping into view as well. She smiled at Souta, who beamed when Izayoi said, "Sango will be caring for Souta while you're here."

"And who will be caring for my daughter?" Jakobe asked, turning to Izayoi. "I certainly hope it's not like that last person. The last one almost forced himself on her and would've succeeded it had it not been for your son."

"No, this is our newest member of the family," Izayoi replied.

"I hope they've been trained in the very least?" A voice sneered; tone cold as a woman appeared, stopping beside Jakobe. Her long black hair was tied out of her face, her brown eyes icy fields. She nodded a greeting to Izayoi, and then turned her attention on Inuyasha when he approached. To Kagome's surprise, her gaze warmed slightly. "Inuyasha."

Inuyasha growled softly, his golden eyes blank. "Kikyo."

"Now, just who is the servant who will serve me this time?" Kikyo demanded, turning to Izayoi.

Izayoi curled a lip at the other woman's rudeness, and swept an arm towards the shadows, waving Kagome forward. Kagome hesitated before stepping into view. "She's generally a sweet girl, but she does make mistakes. I trust you'll be careful with her, Kikyo. Her name is-"

Jakobe interrupted. He'd gone stock still when he saw Kagome, and met her defiant and proud gray eyes, his own blue ones widening. Finally he took a step forward and then he rasped a word that made Kagome's blood run cold.

"Hikari."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

He tapped his fingers impatiently on his throne, his red eyes full of fury as he listened to the prophet that stood before him. With exaggerated patience, he said through gritted teeth, "You mean to tell me that a simple _girl_ will be the end of this war?"

"I apologize, sir, but yes," the prophet rasped, "A miko has been destined to end the war that could destroy many lives. Not even teaming up with the Ryuu would help."

"Of course not, because she's a miko," the man snarled sarcastically, glaring furiously at the prophet. "All we need to do is kill her and I win, right?"

"That's not as easy as it sounds, sir," the prophet answered uncertainly, scared. "You see, my king, the girl is under the protection of one of the other families. And it's not the Higurashis, I assure you."

"Those damn Inus then," the king replied, "they hold her. Because I'm sure as hell that the Ookamis wouldn't take in a miko. They'd kill her first."

"Yes," the prophet agreed his eyes wide. "They would."

"I see," the king sighed, shaking his head. This certainly could be a dangerous interference in his plans as of currently. "Send me the kitsune cub that my men kidnapped. It appears that the Silver Queen has been taking in strays. Perhaps, if he's as innocent as he seems, he'll be taken in as well. You still have his family alive?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. All I need is the cub then. Nobody will expect a kid to be a spy."

"Hai, sir," the prophet replied, bowing before scrambling to fetch the cub as instructed. He returned moments later with a terrified kitsune boy, his green eyes round and his face pale with fear as he was shoved towards the king.

"Well, boy, it seems as if you can be of use to me," the king said, an evil smirk on his face as he spoke, "You see, I have this problem. There's a woman I need to find and weed out. As long as you do your job and you do your job well, I'll set you and your family free after I win the war. But if you fail, you will watch your mother and father slain before your very eyes."

The boy gave a whimper, staying silent, quivering.

"Do you accept this?" the king demanded, red eyes flashing dangerously. It was obvious that if the kitsune didn't, he would be killed. So the kitsune chose the only path he could.

"Hai, Naraku-sama. I will find the miko for you."


	6. The Kitsune Kit

Kagome raised her head proudly as she said firmly, to Izayoi's surprise, her tone even, "Jakobe-sama, I know that this was the name of your wife, Hikari-sama, but my name is not Hikari. My name is Kagome."

Jakobe narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "I had a daughter once, by the name of Kagome," he said softly, turning his face away as he beckoned for Miroku to follow him. "But she's long dead by now. I shouldn't have even thought…I apologize, Kagome-chan."

Kagome gave a faint smile, ignoring all the looks she was receiving. "That is alright, Jakobe-sama. Now, Kikyo-sama. Perhaps we could take your belongings to where you will be staying?"

"Please," Kikyo said stiffly, her gaze icy cold as she glared at the girl that she'd been worried would take her place in less than a day of meeting Jakobe Higurashi. Kagome winced under her look, and Inuyasha shot her a reassuring look, not going unnoticed by Kikyo. So the wench wanted to take her fiancée as well?

Kikyo raised her head, meeting Kagome's eye before practically purring, "Inuyasha, perhaps we could go on a walk when little Kagome-chan has settled me into my quarters?"

Inuyasha looked startled, but agreed none the less. Izayoi hid her suspicions, ordering, "Sango, take Souta-kun to his quarters and then perhaps he and Rin-chan could play together while you help prepare our dinner?"

"Of course, Izayoi-sama," Sango replied, bowing her head respectfully before smiling at Souta. "Come along, Souta-sama. While Inuyasha-sama and Kikyo-sama are on their walk, Kagome-chan will play with you and Rin-chan if you want. Kagome-chan is not very experienced at cooking." Sango shot her friend a pleading look.

"Of course," Kagome replied with a smile, nodding. Souta eyed her with a curious look and she smiled at him before leading Kikyo away, telling her, "Your quarters are this way, Kikyo-sama, close to Inuyasha's as Izayoi-sama and the Inu no Taisho knew you would wish."

"Good," Kikyo said curtly, narrowing her eyes into slits. She laid her satchel on the bed that had been prepared, inspecting it carefully. "Fix the bed," she suddenly said, curling a lip as she turned to take her belongings that were delivered by Totosai and Nazuna. Nazuna winked at Kagome as she left.

Kagome bowed, fearful. "Of course, Kikyo-sama," she gasped, quickly moving over to the bed and adjusting the covers so that not a single wrinkle remained. "Is this to your liking, Kikyo-sama?" she asked, wary.

Kikyo huffed, mocking, "Kikyo-sama, Kikyo-sama. Oh, shut up and just do as I say, you pathetic little girl. You are nothing but a mere _slave_. You are too low as to talk to the likes of me and my uncle. Souta, on the other hand, the little brat, you can even kill and sell the bones to demons. Kami-sama, I never thought I'd see a boy as annoying as he! Now go! I can find Inuyasha myself, and settle in, too."

Kagome's jaw dropped in shock and she tensed, but silently nodded. She rushed out of the room, shoving her bangs out of her face as she fought to tear up. She was _not_ the weak girl that Kikyo had just accused her of being. She could hide her emotions if she so chose. She was so busy walking that she didn't notice the quivering figure that was hiding behind a basket of cloth that had been left for some reason.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

If there was something that Souta Higurashi could do better than anyone else, it was sneak around and eavesdrops without a problem. This was how the boy kept himself entertained when he was alone and bored at his home.

And this is what Souta was currently doing.

When the slave that was supposed to tend to his father had ducked in, asking Sango to join him out in the corridor to talk, Souta had become suspicious, as well as curious as to what the conversation was about. So Souta had cracked the door and began listening.

"Miroku, you can't be serious!" That was Sango, the slave that was tending to Souta himself. Souta tilted his head curiously; she sounded desperate. "That can't be possible! Kagome would've told me, or Inuyasha would've told us!"

"You know that's not always true," the other person, Miroku, said gently, "Everyone has their secrets. Look at you, you kept the fact that you used to be a personal guard of Hikari-sama herself until the castle was attacked and you, Kohaku, and Kirara were sold off."

_Hm…that was certainly interesting. So Sango had been a guard to his mother before she was killed?_

"Besides," Miroku added, "Kagome _just_ got here a few days ago, Sango. She might not trust us with her deepest, darkest secrets. Maybe she really is the daughter of Hikari-sama."

"I suppose so…" Sango said grudgingly. "But she could've told us…huh." Sango's tone became serious as she said slowly, "Kagome did seem to panic at the thought of being related to the Higurashis the other day…but I don't think she'd know if she was. For one, Hikari-sama is dead, and two, Kagome would have been a small child, easily forgetting any memories of times before she was taken…"

Souta blinked in surprise. _That Kagome lady could be my sister instead of Kikyo? That really nice woman who smiled at me, instead of the glaring I always receive from Kikyo? _

"That's true," she agreed slowly, "But, Miroku- You know how Kikyo is! How would she react if she suddenly found out that she was second choice to another girl? Kikyo was raised, knowing that she wasn't Jakobe's daughter, but that she was royalty. Kagome was raised as a slave…"

"We should leave it alone for now, I think that would be best," Miroku sighed. "But if you find anything out, then come see me and we'll discuss it more. Now go back in there before Souta comes out, please."

"Of course," Sango said.

Souta scrambled backwards to avoid getting caught, pretending to have been unpacking the entire time.

_I really hope that Kagome girl is my sister instead of Kikyo…I wouldn't mind having her to play with me every day! Maybe she could even bring Rin and Sango with her to live with us!_

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome smiled as she followed Souta and Sango through the Silver Castle, all intent on getting outside and playing with the child a little before the other people of the castle had prepared dinner for them all. Sango smiled slightly, apologizing when they'd finally reached the gardens outside. "I need to go fix up Souta-kun's clothes. He always leaves them in such a mess," she explained, giving the boy a pointed look.

Souta looked at her innocently and Kagome giggled, smiling as she nodded. "Alright, go ahead. We can play a game between the two of us, right, Souta-sama?"

Souta beamed at this woman. He really did like her much more than he liked Kikyo. "Right, Kagome! You can just call me Souta when Kikyo's not around," he added, scowling at Kikyo's name, "she's mean. I hate her."

Kagome gave a rueful smile. "You shouldn't hate someone, it's not nice. Besides, at least you have Jakobe-sama, right?" she told him, "While I was in the Slave Market, I had no one. Sure there were slaves in the…rooms…next to me, but we were completely alone otherwise. And now," Kagome gave the boy a wink, snickering. "You have all of the castle's men and women."

Souta nodded slowly, a smile creeping across his face. "That makes sense," he agreed. "Come on, Kagome! Let's play!"

Kagome laughed, watching as he darted off and immediately went running after him, her eyes gleaming as she chased after him. "I'll get you," she teased, laughing as Souta squealed and ducked to avoid her grasp.

Souta snickered, running away from the young woman as he taunted, "Try and catch me first, you…girl."

Kagome burst into laughter, doubling over and holding her stomach as she tried to catch her breath, laughing so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks. Souta flushed but grinned. "That…was the funniest comeback I've ever heard."

He smirked, obviously happy that Kagome had praised him.

Suddenly, there was a sudden shout of surprise from not too far away, followed by a scream. Kagome immediately placed her hand on the hilt of the dagger at her side, narrowing her eyes and shoving Souta behind her as she prepared to defend him from anything that would dare attack her and the boy that she was slowly coming to adore. "Souta, stay behind me," she ordered, "but follow."

Souta blinked, nodding. "Okay," he agreed, nervous.

Kagome led the way, edging through the grass and trees and flowers. Then she saw one of the other women of the castle, a middle-aged one by the name of Mizuki, gasping for breath, a hand pressed to her chest, eyes wide with surprise. Beside her, a man, Shoji, was glaring at a small quivering figure, a katana pointed at it.

Behind her, Kagome heard rustling and she glanced over her shoulder, surprised when she saw Inuyasha and Kikyo hurrying over, Inuyasha's usually bright golden eyes were darkened with anger and concern. "What's going on?"

Shoji nodded a greeting at Inuyasha, then realized that Kikyo was there and quickly corrected himself, bowing politely with a muttered, "Inuyasha-sama." Before explaining, "I was helping Mizuki carry a tub of water outside to be dumped when Mizuki tripped on this _thing_," He spat, "and accidentally dumped water all over me."

"It was an accident," Mizuki insisted. "You know I didn't mean to dump the water on you, Shoji."

Kagome turned her attention on the 'thing' that Mizuki had tripped on, her eyes widening when she saw it was a small kitsune boy, his green eyes wide with terror, shuddering under the gaze of Inuyasha. The half-demon's eyes had narrowed into slits as he sniffed at the air, growling low in his throat, his hand thrust out to keep Kikyo back when she moved closer to inspect. "Stay away from it, it reeks of Naraku."

The kitsune whimpered, wiping at his runny nose as he turned his wide, innocent green eyes on Kagome. Kagome met his gaze, her eyes softening. The poor thing was dirty and scared, hiding his face in the tail that he held tightly in his small fists. _Poor thing…_

Inuyasha gave a sharp, high pitched whistle, tilting his head back as he did so. His ears swiveled forward, and he momentarily took his attention off of the kitsune as he waited, then sighed as some of the guards of the castle appeared, looking wary and curious as to what the Silver Prince wanted. "You," he said sharply, jerking his head at the kitsune. "Kill it."

"What?!"

"Inuyasha-sama!"

"You can't just kill it!"

The kitsune gave a pitiful wail, burying his face in his tail with a sob, shaking violently. Kagome glared at Inuyasha, scowling. "Inuyasha-_sama_ she stressed, her eyes furious, "You can't just kill a child because they smell of a kingdom that's threatening to go to war with this one! He must have been a slave that escaped, look how dirty the poor little guy is!"

"How dare you yell at Inuyasha," Kikyo spat, glaring at Kagome now.

Souta cringed. He knew that look. That was the look that appeared before Kikyo's current slave or servant went missing.

Kagome glared back at Kikyo, abandoning Souta to plant herself between Inuyasha and his guards and the kitsune kit, saying evenly, her tone quivering slightly, "I won't let you kill him, Inuyasha-sama. You'll have to kill me first."

"What's going on?" Miroku had appeared, Sango hot on his tail, both closely followed by a curious Rin and an irritated Sesshomaru, as well as a concerned Izayoi, her husband shadowing Izayoi's every move, and Jakobe.

Kagome didn't move from her spot, continuing the glaring contest she was having with Inuyasha as Kikyo said snappishly, her nose raised, "The two slaves here found a kitsune kit that, according to Inuyasha, smells of Naraku. This _girl_ objected and obviously wishes to die with it."

Kagome rounded on Izayoi, her tone quivering as she said desperately, "Izayoi, you wouldn't let him kill an innocent child, would you? So what if he smells of Naraku-sama!" Kagome's voice cracked at Naraku's name, her eyes flashing with fear at the name. "I came from Naraku-sama's lands! You let me stay! He's just a child! I'll take care of him; he can sleep with me and Sango and Kirara, right Sango?! Please! Please, don't kill him!"

Sango looked uncertain of this, her gaze darting from Izayoi to Kagome before she gave a curt nod. "Of course. Kagome and I will watch him. If he does anything suspicious, we'll tell you. And if war does start and food becomes scarce, we'll share our rations with him."

Inuyasha stepped aside as his mother, the lovely Silver Queen Izayoi, stepped forth and knelt to inspect the kitsune. He cringed away from her, his green eyes sparkling with the tears that remained and fear. "If I allow you to stay in my home," Izayoi said softly, her eyes emotionless as she stared down at the kitsune kit. "Will you swear your loyalty to me and me alone, little one?"

The kitsune sniffled, wiping at his eyes as he finally spoke. "'Course," he squeaked, "I promise. I'll protect you with m' life, lady."

Izayoi studied him for another moment before straightening, giving a curt nod to Kagome. "You may take him to your and Sango's room, Kagome. Sango, help her. Mizuki, Shoji, take over their jobs until you are relieved. Shoji, take Souta-kun. Mizuki, take Kikyo-chan. Inuyasha," she turned to her son, who winced under her strict look, "call for me next time instead of deciding to end a life yourself."

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya, Mother," Inuyasha muttered, shooting a dark look at Kagome, who raised her head proudly, eyes narrowed.

Jakobe tilted his head, studying Kagome with a look of upmost curiosity. "…Izayoi?"

"Yes, Jakobe?" Izayoi said, turning to face the man.

"I believe I have something I'd like to discuss with you before I leave," Jakobe said slowly. "Which reminds me. I almost forgot to tell you, our visit will be cut short so that I may return to my home in a few days' time. There was a rouge demon that was killing off some of the village folk near my home…"

"Of course," Izayoi replied, smoothly. Her eyes were thoughtful. "Come; let's have this topic you wish to be discussed happen now that the kitsune has been sorted out. Inuyasha, Kikyo-chan, you may continue your walk if you so wish." With that, the Silver Queen turned and walked off, the Inu no Taisho at her side, her head bent close to Jakobe's as they talked.

Kagome waited until Inuyasha had shot her a final glare before leading Kikyo away, and then turned to the kitsune kit, glancing up when Souta hurried over to see. "I'm sorry about them," she murmured, smiling kindly at the kit. "I'm Kagome; this is Souta-sama and Sango-chan."

The kit sniffled, keeping his tight grip on his tail as he looked up with wide green eyes at them. "I-I-I'm Shippo," he whispered, whimpering and burying his face in his tail.

"Hello, Shippo," Kagome greeted warmly, gently picking up the small boy and smiling reassuringly at him. "Why don't we go get you a bath and some clothes, and then some warm food in your belly?"

"He can borrow some of my clothes," Souta offered, his eyes watching the kit with a sparkle in them. "Just until his are cleaned or you get him some new ones."

"Thank you, Souta," Kagome told him. "Could you go get some while I give him a bath and Sango gets him some food?"

"Supper is soon," Miroku broke in, reminding them that he was still there. His eyes were gentle as he gazed at the kitsune kit. "Perhaps Sango and I can go to the Market on horseback and fetch him some clothes of his own?"

"Please?" Kagome said, looking relieved. Sango nodded a frown on her face as Kagome smiled gratefully at them. "Come along, Shippo, Souta."

She picked up Shippo and Souta followed behind her as they started back for the Silver Castle.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

A few hours later found Kagome and Souta sitting alone together in Kagome's room, watching little Shippo as he snored softly in Kagome's bed, exhausted and tuckered out after the fright he'd received earlier and the traveling he'd done.

Souta tilted his head, resting his chin on his folded arms as he said softly, "He's kind of cute. Like a kid or something."

Kagome chuckled quietly, glancing at Souta out of the corner of her eye. She'd known the boy for less than a day and she already liked him. He was amusing in his own little kid kind of way, but was proud and unafraid to be proud of himself. Kagome couldn't help but think that he reminded her of herself. "Says the boy who's only a few years older."

"I'm closer to your age," Souta protested, "I'm way older than he is."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say," Kagome teased, ruffling the younger boy's hair with a grin. "So…how old are you exactly, Souta?"

"I'm nine years old," he said proudly, puffing out his chest, "I've been alive for almost a decade! Father says I should be proud of myself. How old are you, Kagome?"

"Good job, kid," Kagome replied, smiling in response. "I think I'm around sixteen, seventeen years old. I'm not sure. I lost count when I was in my old home and then the Slave Market."

Souta looked surprised at this. "You really _were_ in the Slave Market?" he asked softly. "I heard that you were, but I didn't really think…you're way too nice to have been in the Slave Market!"

Kagome gave a faint smiled. "Thank you for saying that, Souta, but yes I was. I was sold to it a couple months ago, when I lived with my…" She frowned. "Huh. If she's my mother, and she was… Does that mean…" She shook off her thoughts.

"…where did you live before you lived in the Slave Market?" Souta asked, obviously hesitant to ask, not wanting to seem like he was prying.

Kagome smiled faintly. "I lived with my father in the deserts of the Kumo Kingdom. I don't suggest living there. It was always hot, not as hot as the Ryuu Kingdom, of course, but hot none the less. He wasn't as nice as your father, Jakobe-sama, is."

Souta was terrified to ask the question, but found himself asking anyways, "Kagome? I heard Miroku and Sango…they think you're Mom's daughter, which would make you my sister. Is that true?"

Kagome looked startled to be asked this question. Then her eyes softened. "…yes, I…I…think your mother is my mother," she whispered, "Meaning I'm your sister." As Souta's eyes widened and he beamed, she pleaded, "You can't tell anyone, Souta! Please! Sango figured it out, and I think she was right, but I convinced her that it wasn't possible. I mean, it has to be true, Mother's friends with Izayoi. It's not you, but I desperately hope it isn't true…I'm begging you; don't breathe a word about this to anyone! It would cause uproar, and Kikyo would hate me even more!"

Souta, still excited by this news, nodded, his eyes sparkling as he gave Kagome a quick hug. "I'm glad you're my real sister," he told her.

Kagome's eyes softened further and she returned the hug. "I am, too."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

"What is it you wanted to speak with me about?" Izayoi asked once they were in her room. She glanced anxiously at the door that led to where Hikari lay, asleep. _I beg of you, Hikari, dear, don't have a fit while he's in here._

"It was about that slave of yours, Kagome," Jakobe said slowly.

Izayoi stiffened, saying coldly, "Jakobe, you know as well as I do that we do not have _slaves_, we have servants in this castle. As for Kagome, what do you wish to do with her? I am certain she is of no marrying age."

Jakobe laughed, throwing his head back for a moment before chuckling, "No, no, I do not wish to marry the girl. She is far too young for me and too much like my Hikari. I will not marry anyone other than my Hikari. I was going to ask if I could perhaps come work at my castle. You need the room and food if there is a war, and we have plenty of both…"

Izayoi stiffened, considering this. "Why do you want Kagome out of all of the people I have that work for me and my family?"

The Inu no Taisho watched silently beside her, his golden eyes narrowed with thought as he said slowly, "I believe, Jakobe, you wish for a reminder of your wife, is that it?"

Izayoi looked at her husband in surprise. He usually remained silent when she spoke with others. She was, after all, the Silver Queen, only a rank higher than himself but higher none the less. For him to speak out against Kagome leaving meant that he'd taken a serious liking to her…making Izayoi even more unwilling to just let the girl go.

Jakobe sighed. "Okay, yes, she does look like my wife, but no. Souta appears to like her and he needs someone I can trust to care for him, especially during the war, Izayoi. You understand my fear for him, right? He will be targeted."

Izayoi rocketed to her feet, immediately furious. "So you expect her to sacrifice her life for your son, Jakobe?! Do you hear yourself? How incredibly selfish of you, you…you…"

"Izayoi, calm down," Toga, the Inu no Taisho, said sharply, his golden eyes sparking.

Izayoi's nostrils flared as she released a heavy sigh through her nose, but sat daintily at his side again. Toga reassuringly touched her cheek with a claw, his armor clinking as he shifted, turning his gaze on Jakobe, far more intimidating then his wife.

Jakobe snorted, obviously irritated as he snapped, "No, no! That's not what I mean, damn it! I want her there to comfort Souta if I or Kikyo are killed in this war that we all know is coming!"

"It might not-"

"DAMN IT, IZAYOI!" Breathing heavily, contradicting the silence, Jakobe said, eyes narrowed and dark as he said furiously, "You and I both know that this war _will_ happen, whether we want it to or not. This war has been on the tips of the peoples' fingers since the time slavery was introduced and this country split. Toga, you were alive then, you know this as well as I! The war just happened to choose our time to become true!"

Izayoi sighed. "Alright, I know you're right," she whispered. "I wish desperately that this war was not almost upon us, but I know that it must be so. Now, back on the subject of Kagome… why her?"

"There's…something," Jakobe said, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. "It's not that she looks like Hikari, or that I want her to protect my son with her life. There's something about that one girl, Izayoi. She will be the one that ends this, I know it." He opened his eyes. "That girl is no ordinary one."

Izayoi opened her mouth to yell at him again, but was interrupted when familiar coughing and choking came from the room nearby. "Excuse me," she said quickly, shooting to her feet and hurrying away to comfort her friend until the fit stopped.

Jakobe tilted his head curiously as she disappeared into the room. Toga's gaze followed Izayoi.

"You're right about her."

Toga's voice made Jakobe jump in surprise. "What?"

"Kagome, you're right about her," Toga repeated. "There is something about her. Her aura radiates power though she doesn't show it. Her personality is stronger than most women, perhaps even Izayoi. She yelled at my son. That is not something most do lightly." Toga tilted his head with a sigh. "That is why I do not think she should leave with you, Jakobe. Our castle is better defended. She will be protected here, as will Hikari."

"Excuse me?" Jakobe said sharply, eyes narrowing.

Toga snorted, rolling his eyes. "You heard me correctly. Both she and Hikari will be protected until this war is over. Izayoi!"

"_What!?_ I'm busy in here, Toga!"

Toga chuckled at his mate's sharp tone. "I believe it is time that Hikari be shown to her husband."

Izayoi came to the doorway, her eyes gleaming with a deadly look. "What did you just say?" she whispered.

"It's fine, Izayoi," a weak feminine voice rasped, "I…I want to see Jakobe. I want to see him. Send him in, please."

Jakobe looked stunned, dazed as he climbed to his feet, Izayoi beckoning him forward and then nudging him in before shutting the door behind her. Toga winced at her furious look.

This would _not_ be pleasant.

Izayoi certainly didn't like when her 'important' conversations were interrupted with something that wasn't supposed to happen.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome quietly knocked on the door before ducking into Kikyo's room, bowing as she said, "I apologize about earlier, Kikyo-sama." Her tone quivered with fear. There was something about Kikyo that made you feel the need to apologize for even the smallest of things.

Kikyo glanced up from where she was reading an ancient looking scroll on her bed. She scowled slightly, rolling up the scroll and setting it down with a forced, "It's fine. Come and help me brush my hair…" _I tire of this. This one's going to leave._

She rolled up her sleeves, saying, "You, girl. Bring me that vase over there."

Kagome blinked, frowning slightly. _Why would she want a vase of all things…?_ "Of course, Kikyo-sama," she replied, moving over to collect the vase. She gently picked it up, carefully cradling it in her arms, heading back over to Kikyo.

Suddenly, something seemed to roll under her foot and Kagome gasped as she tripped, immediately trying to catch her balance, dropping the vase in the process. It shattered on the ground with a loud crash and Kagome gasped, sinking to the ground when some shards sunk into her foot.

"_You stupid girl!_"

Kagome flinched away, utterly terrified when Kikyo shrieked, shooting off the bed and darting over, shoving Kagome out of the way to examine the destroyed vase. Kagome grunted in surprise, a shard slicing easily along the length of her hand. Blood splattered the ground, and Kagome winced. Kagome quickly sat up to avoid any more of the shards breaking her skin.

_Crack!_

"You stupid bitch!" Kikyo seethed, furious as she towered over Kagome. "That vase was a treasured gift from my mother!"

Kagome stared silently at Kikyo in shock, her hand rising to cradle her slightly swollen cheek. Pain raced through her face from the slap and Kagome immediately cowered away when Kikyo raised her hand to slap her again, screwing her eyes shut and pressing back against the wall.

"Kikyo!"

Kagome blinked open her eyes at the familiar sharp voice, which sounded angry and annoyed. She looked up, discovering a furious looking Inuyasha blocking Kikyo's way, not allowing her to continue her beating on Kagome. "That's enough!" He growled, ears flattened on the top of his head.

Kikyo glared up at him, her eyes just as furious. "She deserves it! Look what she did to Mother's vase!"

Inuyasha snorted, turning away as he snarled, "Kikyo, I don't care what she did, we don't beat our servants here. Kagome." He faced Kagome, offering her a hand in which she flinched away from. He rolled his eyes. "Come on, wench, do you honestly think I'm going to hurt you? Let's get you to Kaede; I smell all that blood on you."

Kagome hesitated, unsure as she pressed back against the wall.

"Damn it, Kikyo," Inuyasha cursed, pursing his lips as he crouched beside her, ears pricking forward. "Look what you did, we had almost completely fixed up and healed from her times at the Slave Market."

Kikyo scowled at him, crossing her arms. "Since when was she more important than me?"

Inuyasha turned a cold look on her, warning, "I don't care what you do when you're not at my home or in my presence, but I will not marry someone who beats innocent people, Kikyo. Kagome made a mistake, everyone does that. She does not deserve to be beaten for a _mistake_." His tone was icy cold, furious as he turned his attention back on Kagome. "Come on, wench, let's get you to Kaede…"

Kagome didn't move, quivering slightly as she buried her face in her hands, ignoring the blood that immediately slicked her face as she whispered, "I should've known better. Every where's the same, it doesn't matter where you go. You're never free and you always do something that makes you deserve to be hurt."

Inuyasha groaned, ignoring the outraged cry of Kikyo and shriek of fear of Kagome as Inuyasha suddenly swept Kagome up, tossing her over his shoulder and walked out of the room. He started down the hall, snapping to Kagome, "You know better than to struggle to get away. We both know that you're not going to get that far, even if you do get away."

Kagome went silent, allowing him to carry her with a hiss of frustration. When he began talking, she flinched at the irritated, furious tone.

"Kagome, you know as well as I do that you're perfectly fine here. Just because Kikyo- what the hell! Don't cry! What did I say?!"

Inuyasha became panicked as Kagome began to heave with sobs, hiding her face in her hands again. Inuyasha set Kagome down and Kagome immediately slumped to the ground, giving a soft wail. Inuyasha growled, glaring at her, though the glare lacked any anger. "St-stop crying! Why are you even doing that, I didn't say nothing, wench!"

Kagome choked down another sob, giving a strangled smile. "I…I know. It's j-j-just…never thought that n-not only w-would I come to m-meet the g-g-great Silver Prince, but that he'd rescue me from multiple s-situations."

He frowned. "So what if I've helped you out, that's what I'm supposed to do!"

Kagome shook her head, raising her teary eyes as she smiled at him. Inuyasha was startled. "You don't understand, Inuyasha-sama," she told him. "You see, not many people believe your family is as good as they are."

Inuyasha studied her face. If you got past the tears and the small bruise from her time at the Slave Market, she was quite pretty. Her black hair went will with her skin tone, and her gray eyes seemed to stare into your soul if you dared to meet her gaze. He shook his head to clear it, mumbling to himself angrily for him to keep his mind on her words and not focus on her lips as they moved. "Keh. They're stupid then."

Kagome gave a raspy laugh and wiped at her eyes. "Guess they are," she agreed.

Inuyasha gave a hesitant smile, a fang sliding out to hang over his lip as he stood, offering her his hand. She hesitantly took it and he growled softly at the blood that immediately filled his palm and slicked his fingers, taking his sleeve and attempting to wipe the blood that was on her face. She flushed, looking embarrassed. Inuyasha snickered, and then quietly nudged her forward. "Come on."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome sighed as Kaede wrapped her hand, grimacing at the sting of open flesh being touched. Inuyasha reclined on the floor nearby, lazily watching as Kaede clucked, scolding, "Touching broken pottery…I thought ye would have known better, Kagome."

"It was in Kikyo-sama's room," Kagome said quietly, "I was trying to pick it up so she wouldn't get hurt."

"Kagome," Inuyasha said threateningly, "I told you. Don't. I'm going to give Kikyo Mizuki as a replacement and you can relax and take care of that little runt you rescued from me earlier."

Said girl smiled slightly at him, grateful.

"Kagome?"

Kagome turned her head, startled to see a surprised looking Izayoi, followed closely by, as always, Toga and Jakobe. "Oh, hello, Izayoi-sama, Inu no Taisho-sama, Jakobe-sama."

Izayoi raised an eyebrow, curious when she saw her son was in the healing area as well. "Might I ask what happened?"

Inuyasha huffed. "Kikyo beat her for dropping a vase while she was trying to pick it up. I got onto her about it and brought Kagome here so she could get her hand and foot wrapped up."

Izayoi chuckled. "Ah, my son hiding his good ways in his gruff ones."

Inuyasha snorted, rolling his eyes as he stood, crossing his arms and moving to stand beside the cot Kagome was sitting on as Kaede bandaged her injuries. "What are you doing here, Mother?" Kagome looked at her curiously as well.

"It has been decided," Izayoi sighed, not bothering to hold back anymore. "Inuyasha, Kagome. Kagome is to go back to the Higurashi Kingdom with Jakobe and Souta to care for Souta while Kikyo will remain here. Kaede, leave us, please." The elderly woman bowed, hurrying out and closing the door behind her.

"Inuyasha, you know my suspicions," Izayoi continued to her son. Inuyasha eyed her warily. "You also know that Hikari is ill. Hikari herself has agreed to this, and she and Jakobe have confirmed my suspicions.

Kagome is indeed their daughter, the lost princess of the Higurashi Lands."


	7. Midoriko's Song

While Inuyasha's face showed his shock at their decision, Kagome's was full of confusion for the fact as to _why_.

"You can't just decide that for yourself!" Inuyasha argued, angry, golden eyes flashing with irritation.

"Kagome's my daughter," Jakobe said, his tone calm. "You don't have to worry about your marriage with Kikyo if that's what you're upset about. You're still marrying her. She's just staying here instead of coming back to do so, while Kagome will be coming back to help out with her brother."

"I paid money for her to be free!" Inuyasha snapped. "What are you going to do about that? Without me, your daughter might as well be _dead_."

"Inuyasha," Izayoi said sharply, her usual warm brown eyes emotionless as they always were when she was doing business for her kingdom. "It isn't up to you whether Kagome leaves or not, alright? I understand she's a friend of yours…but Hikari made this decision. It's up to her and Jakobe."

"She has friends here now," Inuyasha bit out, "And she's still not completely healed up from the Slave Market." He cast Jakobe a dark look. "You do know that we rescued her from there, right? Besides, she has a kitsune to take care of."

The Inu no Taisho grumbled softly as he said, "Inuyasha, not now. If you're going to act like this, get out."

Inuyasha moved to snarl at him, but Kagome held up a hand, interrupting softly, "Are you going to ask me what I want?" Everyone went silent, and she looked over all of them with her piercing gray eyes. "I don't want to leave here…but I think you should take Hikari, I mean Mother, back with you instead."

Jakobe narrowed his eyes. "You're coming home," he said firmly, his tone full of authority. "Your mother and I decided this…and I won't lose another child. I know I've already lost one…I won't lose another, Kagome."

"You should be excited, Kagome," Izayoi said softly. "You get to go home…you get to see where you lived a long time ago, with Hikari and Jakobe."

"I'm not going," Kagome replied simply. "I'm….glad that I have family. Sango kind of hinted at it, and I'd guessed, but…I don't want to. Like Inuyasha said, I have Shippo to care for. And…I'm not the princess kind of type, Jak…Father. I don't want to go back. I still say you take Mother back though. It sounds like it's safer there."

The Inu no Taisho growled in disapproval at that. Being in charge of the fighting tactics and such, he certainly didn't appreciate hearing that he wasn't capable of protecting his mate and wife, as well as their home.

"Besides," Kagome added, not removing her piercing gray gaze from Jakobe's dark brown one, "Wouldn't you rather have your wife and love home with you instead of a daughter you don't know?"

"Adding onto that," a voice said firmly, startling everyone in the room. Sango appeared, her gaze hard, ducking into the infirmary as she said, "Nobody knows yet that Kagome is the missing princess of your kingdom, Jakobe-sama."

"Sango," Jakobe greeted with a sigh. "I should've known you'd come join the conversation."

"I was talking with Hikari-sama," Sango said simply, "She was worried and sent me here in her place. We have many of the same opinions. She was like my own mother when I protected her, apprenticed under my father with my brother…though I failed in the end and allowed Kagome, Souta, and she to be kidnapped…"

"Souta wasn't kidnapped though," Inuyasha pointed out, "He's in a different room. He came here with Jakobe."

"That's not important right now," Jakobe said quickly, shaking his head. "Souta isn't included in this conversation. This is about Kagome coming home."

"Which shouldn't happen," Sango replied, moving over to stand beside Kagome and Inuyasha. "I understand I'm not important enough to be part of this, Jakobe-sama, but Hikari-sama told me something and I came to a realization. War is on the brink of breaking out. Kagome's not known as the lost Higurashi princess, Jakobe-sama. The only people who know are all of us in this room."

"Your point, Sango?" Izayoi prodded, curious as to what the girl was thinking.

Sango thought it over in her mind first. Then she said slowly, "You see…if a war is about to break out, they'll be looking for leverage. They would go after her if she was a princess. But as a regular servant…"

"She won't be noticed, just killed," Jakobe retorted.

"She'll be safe here," Izayoi murmured, catching onto the idea.

If Kagome remained a regular servant at the home of the Silver Queen, nobody would know she would exist. She would just, as they'd discussed, be a servant. Somebody who wouldn't be instantly killed, instead sold to a possibly safe place –though abusive – until the war was over. Then she could return home and perhaps take over the kingdom with her brother, perhaps injured and worked, but safe and alive. If she was caught as a princess…

"I see," Izayoi said slowly, her eyes lighting up. "She'd be sold as a slave if our castle was to go to ruins, but that's it. She wouldn't be kept hostage or killed immediately."

"Exactly," Sango replied, grinning. "It's hard to explain, but you understand, thank goodness."

"Well I certainly don't," Inuyasha huffed, a growl coming from deep within his throat, ears flat against his head as he glared.

Kagome titled her head, watching them as Jakobe nodded slowly. "I can see why that makes sense," he agreed. "Does Hikari know of this?"

"I explained my theory to her," Sango replied. "She agreed."

Jakobe studied the people before him before sighing and deciding, "If it's okay with you, Izayoi, I suppose that she could stay…"

A smile lit up Kagome's face, along with Sango's and a smirk from Inuyasha. "Great!" Kagome said happily. "That's great!"

Sango contemplated something, hesitating before saying, "Jakobe-sama, I believe it is best that you take Kikyo-sama with you. She's the one who hurt Kagome not too long ago, an hour at the most. She's Kikyo, Jakobe-sama; she might get jealous and hurt her again."

Inuyasha huffed. "Jealous of what?"

Kagome understood in an instant and choked on her words as she said, "She thinks…she thinks that I…she thinks that he likes me better?"

"Sounds like my niece," Jakobe sighed, shaking his head as he shoved his hand through his dark hair. "I hope you will forgive her, Kagome. I'm sure she didn't actually mean to-"

"To slap her?" Inuyasha growled, his eyes narrowing with anger as his ears flattened. "How do you not mean to slap her? She didn't do it by accident; she did it on purpose and would've gone further if I hadn't stepped in. Jakobe, she's not as innocent as you make her to be."

"Now, now, I didn't say she was that," Jakobe protested.

"We weren't discussing this," Kagome said, her tone full of surprising authority. "Just take Mother back to the Higurashi Kingdom, the Higurashi Castle. Take her to her home." She glanced at Izayoi, nervous now. "That is okay, right? I would think that she would want to go home."

Izayoi's eyes softened. "Of course. If Hikari wants to go, I won't stop her. We'll send her home in a carriage, won't we, Toga?"

The Inu no Taisho sighed. "Fine. I will send someone to prepare a carriage for Hikari, Jakobe, and Souta as soon as needed."

"We'll leave now," Jakobe decided, glancing at Izayoi with a sigh. "I apologize that our visit has to be so short…but that demon is really causing quite a bit of trouble. Just before we left it'd destroyed a whole village. I need to go."

"I'll help Hikari out," Izayoi said immediately, glancing at her son. "Inuyasha, would you help me? She can't walk very well; it's been a long time since she last walked. She may need you to carry her."

"Of course," the half-demon sighed, "Let's go."

"Sango?" Jakobe said firmly, "Go help my son pack his things. I want a word with Kagome before I leave."

Kagome looked startled at this, and Sango nodded, smiling slightly. "Of course, Jakobe-sama. We'll get them ready to leave right away. I'll send Miroku to help Kikyo get ready to go…?"

Jakobe released a large sigh. "Alright, bring her with us. I don't think it's a good idea to leave her alone anyways."

Sango hid a grin, glancing at her friend with a smirk. Kagome gave a hesitant smile in return; watching as the young woman disappeared, leaving her alone with the Higurashi King. "What can I help you with?" Kagome asked curiously.

Jakobe took a deep breath, and then sighed, saying slowly, "I wanted to tell you…"

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

Hikari gave Inuyasha an appreciative look as she ruffled his silver bangs, tweaking his ear with a smile. "Thank you for carrying me, Inu-kun, that was very kind of you."

Inuyasha flushed at the nickname, looking away. "Feh."

Hikari's eyes softened. She'd been at the Silver Castle for so long that he was like a second son to her, almost more so than…she trailed off in her thoughts, shaking her head to clear it. It wasn't the time for hard memories, the ones that hurt. She clutched the side of the carriage for balance as Inuyasha set her down, Izayoi helping her inside, anxiously asking, "Are you alright? Do you need more medicine, Hikari?"

"No," Hikari replied, smiling softly at her longtime friend. "I am fine. I'm more worried about Kagome…are you sure she can't come with us, Izayoi?"

"She and Jakobe both agreed it would be safer for her under the influence of your Sango," Izayoi replied gently, her brown eyes thoughtful as she glanced questioningly at her young son. "Speaking of them, where's Jakobe? He should've been here by now…and Souta as well."

"I'll go get Souta," Miroku offered as he grunted with the effort of raising Kikyo's last trunk of belongings onto the carriage. "Inuyasha could grab Jakobe, and I'm sure one of us will run into Kikyo and tell her that her carriage is waiting."

"That would be very kind of you," Hikari said stiffly, her gaze hardening at the mention of Souta.

There was one thing she was not happy with…she would most definitely discuss it with her husband later, when they had privacy. It only took a day to get back to Higurashi Castle anyways.

Miroku patted Hikari's hand happily, smiling slightly as he said, "It was nice meeting you, Hikari-sama. I am very impressed by the fact that only a select few knew you were here. I most certainly was not one of them. "

Hikari returned the smile as she replied, "It was nice to meet you as well, Miroku-kun. You are a very kind young man. Make sure you share this kindness with my Sango, would you? She seems to like you very much."

Miroku's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Hikari-sama. I will make sure I do." With that, the man gave a quick, respectful bow before turning and disappearing back into the castle.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at this, noticing the soft look on Miroku's face at Sango's name. Hm. So he had a thing for the ex-slayer, hm? An idea popped up in his mind and he glanced at Souta when the boy appeared, pouting at the thought of having to leave. "Souta," he said, stopping him when he tried to get in the carriage. "Does the Higurashi Castle still have demon slayers protecting it?"

Souta looked bewildered. "Yeah, it does," he replied. "One of my best friends is a demon slayer. He's usually my personal guard," the boy looked proud as he said this, adding, "He was rescued like Sango and Kagome. Dad found him at the Slave Market, recognized him, and brought him home."

Inuyasha's idea faded from his mind for the moment, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What's his name, Souta?"  
"His name? Oh, his name is Kohaku."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

After tracking down Kikyo and telling her that it was time for her to take her things out for the other servants to handle, receiving a pout when he didn't kiss her cheek in farewell like he usually did, Inuyasha went searching for the Higurashi King and his newly discovered daughter, finding them where'd they'd been left, speaking in low tones in the infirmary.

"Jakobe," Inuyasha interrupted carefully, making Kagome jump while Jakobe just slowly turned to face him. "The carriage with Hikari, Souta, and Kikyo is waiting for you."

"Thank you for telling me, Inuyasha," Jakobe said with a curt nod, turning to his daughter and examining her. "I hope you'll succeed where others have failed, Kagome."

"I will," Kagome said firmly, giving a bit of a smile to her father. Inuyasha was startled at the spark of jealousy that sparked in his heart. He was…jealous. Of her _father_. Kami help him. He'd known this girl for less than six months and she was quickly becoming important to him, more so than she should.

He wanted her to smile like that at _him_. Only him. A low growl spilled from his lips and he scowled. She belonged to _him_. She was _his_, not anyone else's. He'd rescued her. He'd convinced his mother for the money to rescue her.

As Jakobe left, they were left alone in the infirmary.

Kagome stared after Jakobe, her gaze emotionless, yet thoughtful at the same time. He'd told her things she didn't want to know, but knew that if she didn't know, could prove to be fatal. He'd told her things that she knew she would use in the future. And in return, she'd told him something that nobody else knew, that she desperately hoped nobody else would find out. That suddenly made her fall to her knees, giving a soft sob.

Inuyasha jumped, looking startled at this. "Kagome?" he asked softly, lowering himself to kneel beside her, his golden eyes curious and full of concern, ears twitching this way and that.

Kagome raised her head to give him a faint, pained smile, nearly breaking his heart as tears sparkled in her eyes and fell down her cheeks. "I'm okay," she replied softly, releasing a shaky sigh. "I'm just…stressed."

Inuyasha tilted his head, reaching over as another tear fell down her cheek, catching it on the tip of his claw and then cupped her cheek, swiping his thumb over it to rid her of the remaining tears. Kagome hesitantly leaned into his hand, giggling softly as it tickled.

Inuyasha smiled reassuringly, his golden eyes becoming soft as he said, "You sure you're okay, Kagome? Last time I checked, women don't just burst into tears when they're okay." His ears twitched again as he heard her breath catch in her throat. "You don't have to pretend to be okay when you're not, you know."

Kagome gave a small smile, placing her hand over where it cupped her cheek, closing her eyes. "I'm sure," she said firmly. "I'll be okay. I just…am happy that I have a family, even if I don't remember them." She smiled. "Thank you for caring though," she added, moving closer and suddenly kissing his cheek in thanks before standing up, brushing her skirts off. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Inuyasha-sama, I need to go check on Shippo-kun, and get to work on cleaning up Sango-chan and my room. Souta and I made a mess earlier while we were choosing clothes for Shippo-kun…"

Inuyasha chuckled, standing up, though his eyes glowed with happiness. She'd kissed him. Okay, she'd kissed his cheek only, and it was friendly, but…still. Her lips were warm, gentle compared to the small kisses he'd received from her cousin. He preferred Kagome. Perhaps even Kagome's lips against his own…he shook his head to clear it. That was going _way _too far. He was going to marry Kikyo. And he had to focus, keep his head clear instead of being full of this…girl.

But Inuyasha couldn't help but feel as if she was calling him to her, luring him in like some strange temptress.

…and he couldn't help but like the strange woman, watching her form disappear before his eyes as she left the room in a hurry.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome scolded herself as she left the room, utterly ashamed with herself. What was she thinking, showing affection for the Silver Prince like that? So what if she was the long lost Higurashi Princess? That didn't give her an excuse to show interest in a man that was to be married with her _cousin_.

Kagome pursed her lips. It certainly wouldn't happen again, she would make sure of that.

But she still wanted to touch those cute little ears of his. Even if she did get her head bitten off, it'd be worth it.

As she passed a few of the other rescued slaves on her way back to her and Sango's chambers, she recognized a few, especially Nazuna when the girl skipped past, looking happy. "Nazuna-chan?" Kagome questioned curiously. "What're you happy for?"

Nazuna flushed, looking down as she mumbled inaudibly.

"Huh?"

"I…I was offered a job," she explained. "I was offered a job by a young man in the village, to play music for him every day. I'd get paid nicely…and he isn't too bad looking…"

Kagome blinked. "You're leaving the castle, Nazuna-chan?"

"Yes," Nazuna replied softly, "I'm finally leaving. This place has been my home for almost ten years, Kagome-chan. But every one of us leaves eventually. I'm sure that you'll leave, sooner than I did more likely. You have the attitude of someone who likes to be independent, do things by themselves."

Kagome blinked in surprise. "I suppose I do like to do things myself instead of asking someone else." She smiled warmly at the woman before her. "I hope you have fun and work hard, Nazuna-chan. You deserve to be happy, just like everyone else here."

Nazuna gave her a warm smile in return, moving over to hug the new member of the "family". "I'll give you my piano if you play during parties, alright?"

Kagome looked startled, pulling back to stare at her. "You're…you're giving me a gift?" she choked out. "You're giving me a gift because you're leaving?"

Nazuna shot her a raised eyebrow and a strange look, replying uncertainly, "Do you not want the piano? I can give it to Rin-chan to learn on if you don't want it…"

Kagome grinned, shaking her head with a bright smile. "It's not that I don't want it, Nazuna-chan. This…it's just…" She hesitated, and then admitted, "I've never been given a gift like this before."

Nazuna blinked. "You've never had a gift? Not even for the day you were born?"

"No, never. So…thank you." Kagome gave her a reassuring look. "I'll take good care of your beautiful piano, Nazuna-chan, I promise. Thank you."

"I think, Kagome-chan," Nazuna murmured as Kagome smiled and started back for her shared space with Sango, "I think that you need to learn that you've missed out on much more than you think you have."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Later that night found the Silver Queen sitting out on a balcony, her dark eyes thoughtful, her long black hair floating around her slightly in the breeze. It was strangely silent without the harsh coughing of her close friend, yet she knew it was better that Hikari had gone back to her home country.

At least she had a part of her longtime friend, right? She would be able to help Hikari by protecting her only daughter, and possibly their savior according to what her husband believed. Something appeared to be special about Kagome, Toga had told her. He was positive that Kagome was the one who would save hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of lives.

"Izayoi, come inside." Toga's voice caught her attention as the dog demon walked over, armor clinking, gently touching her cheek when she turned her face towards him. "I don't want you to get ill from being out for so long."

Izayoi leaned into his hand, cupping it and holding it there for a moment before twisting her head to kiss his palm in a sign of love, rarely shown between the two. Both shared a close relationship though it didn't show often.

Toga's eyes softened and he pulled her up, planting a rare kiss on her lips, rumbling softly. "Come inside," he repeated.

Izayoi giggled as he kissed her nose, wrinkling it as she suppressed a sneeze. "I will. I want to think some more…"

"About what?"

"I was thinking about Hikari and Jakobe. Hikari must be happy to be able to go home after so long, even though she knows she's not long for this world. The Ryuu poison is beginning to kill her. I would like to go visit her a final time before she's gone."

"We will see to it that you get to," Toga reassured. He gently pulled her inside though she protested, his claws skimming up and down her back reassuringly as he did so. "Come to bed, Izayoi," he murmured, pressing a gentle, yet meaningful kiss to her neck. "I am lonely."

Izayoi laughed at his choice of words and turned to embrace her husband and demon mate.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

"_**Unmei wa, fuhendearu**_

_**unmei wa sentakude wa arimasen.**_

_**Unmei wa monode wa arimasen**_

_**Anata ga ukeotru mada nani ka.**_

_**Anata no unmei wa, fuhendearu**_

_**anata no unmei wa anata no sentakude wa arimasen.**_

_**Unmei wa monode wa arimasen**_

_**Anata ga hisshi ni shitai**_

_**Mada anata wa sore o tonikaku ukeru.**_

_**Watashi o yurushite**_

_**watashi no kichona shison.**_

_**Watashi no ayamachi o yurushite.**_

_**Watashi wa subete o okonau koto o ito suru tame**_

_**sore o anata no tame ni, **_

_**shikashi, soreha subete no auto machigatte kite,**_

_**soshite ima, anata wa kurushimanakereba naranai**_

_**watashi no kekka.**_

_**Anata wa, hozon sa reta me**_

_**watashi no tamashi,**_

_**dakedenaku, anata jishin no yo ni."**_

** A small girl with choppy bangs and long wavy hair that was braided down her back, a silver tiara with turquoise and rubies and diamonds lining the edges and tips. "Momma," she said softly, tugging on the woman before her's skirt. **

** "What is it, dear?" the woman answered, smiling warmly at her daughter as she tilted her head. "Are you feeling alright?"**

** "Yeah," the girl replied with a grin, nodding as she clasped her hands behind her back, the beautiful tropical gown she wore making her eyes even more stormy than usual. "I just wanted to give you this flower 'cause that song you were singing is pretty!"**

** The older woman took the white flower from her daughter, smelling it with a gentle smile. "It's beautiful, 'Gome. Thank you."**

** The young and beautiful Kagome beamed, happy that her mother liked her gift. "What's that song you're singing about?"**

** "It's about a prophecy, the prophecy about Midoriko-sama," the queen, Hikari, replied. Her brown eyes were soft with affection as she explained, "The song is about fate and forgiving Midoriko-sama's mistakes. If her mistakes are forgiven by the proper person, than Midoriko-sama's soul will be saved from the demon that she continues to fight and has been fighting for over three hundred years. There is a curse on our family that the eldest will die before twenty if they do not fall in love with a demon. Your poor brother is the eldest, and I hope that by marrying him into Naraku-sama's family, he can be saved…unless Midoriko-sama's soul is saved. Then the curse is gone."**

** Kagome listened to the whole story, her eyes wide with wonder. "I'll save 'doriko-sama's soul!" she decided, her teeth revealing themselves as she grinned. **

** "That's a very brave thing for you to do," Hikari praised as her husband appeared, a laughing ten year old boy on his shoulders. She smiled, turning to face Jakobe and her son. "What's so funny?"**

** "Souta got me with his practice sword," Jakobe explained, still chuckling as he showed her a small gash on his arm. "It was an accident. I told him I was proud of him and then a squirrel jumped on his head."**

** Souta giggled, his gray eyes that matched his sibling's lit up with laughter.**

** "Jakobe-sama! Jakobe-sama, hurry!"**

** The laughter stopped at the panicked yell of a servant as he skidded to a stop, eyes gleaming with terror. **

** "Jakobe-sama, the Ryuu have attacked!"**

**~O~**

Hikari jumped awake, startled by a bump in the road as the carriage crossed the border from the Takahashi Lands into the Higurashi Kingdom. She shuddered, rubbing her head as she sat up, noticing that Kikyo and Souta… her gaze hardened with anger at this. How dare Jakobe name a son that was not her own after theirs? How dare he!?

Hikari shook off her anger when Souta looked at her eager, asking, "So you're my mom, right?" She froze, glancing furiously at her husband who shot her a firm look and a nod before nodding silently in reply, playing with her fingers. Souta beamed, obviously happy with this. "I'm glad that you're my mom, Kagome said that you're really nice!"

Hikari became curious at this. "She said that about me?"

Souta nodded. "While Sango was busy, she kept my company and told me a lot of things about you and I got to help her take care of Shippo! I gave him some of my clothes because his were really dirty."

Hikari was startled at the boy's enthusiasm. Pleasantly startled. She gave a wary smile, tilting her head thoughtfully. "It's nice to meet you…Souta-kun."

Souta grinned. "Nice to meet you finally, Mother."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome easily swept the massive dining room with lovely wooden floors, her eyes gleaming with thought as she hummed quietly to herself, quietly dancing at the same time.

"_Fate is unchangeable,_

_fate is not chosen._

_Fate is not wished for,_

_yet something given."_

The broom swept across the floor as she tipped a chair back for a moment, carefully setting it down, her voice soft as she sung to herself. She paused in her work to shove her hair back over her shoulder and out of her face before continuing.

"_Your fate is uncertain,_

_not chosen._

_Your fate is not wanted, _

_yet something given."_

Sango tilted her head from where she was swiping down the table, her eyes surprised that Kagome knew that song, considering it was also one of the Higurashi Lands, opening her mouth to ask how she _did_ know it but decided to allow Kagome to finish singing it first.

"_Forgive me,_

_my precious dear,_

_forgive me, my mistakes._

_For I did it all for you,_

_but it all turned out wrong._

_Now, my dear, you must suffer in my stead._

_But you will save my soul,_

_and perhaps your own!"_

As soon as Kagome had finished singing, Sango demanded, "How do you know that song? It's specifically kept to the Higurashi royal family."

Kagome giggled softly at this, replying, "Oh, I know. My mother taught me the other day. She said that I should know that song, I don't know why though."

Sango tilted her head, her eyes thoughtful. "I'm sure you'll learn why from her when Izayoi goes to visit her like I know she will. She'll probably take you with her if you ask."

"I'll make sure to do that," Kagome agreed.

And the two set back to work.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

**A/N:**

**I don't post these for this fanfic, but I wanted to apologize for taking over a month to write this! I hope you enjoyed!**

**The song written above is actually something I came up with. XD Japanese was found from google translate!**


	8. Dancing

A few days later found Kagome going around, helping out with chores while Shippo, who'd rested enough to be bouncy and eager to go around, tagged along, helping whenever he could. When Kagome went to groom and saddle one of the Silver Castle's powerful, speedy, and healthy horses, a large bay stallion, he came and helped Kagome brush the horse off.

Kagome, who liked the horse second only to her own Sabe, stroked it's soft muzzle with a smile while Shippo finished brushing off the stallion's back, smiling warmly as it nuzzled it's muzzle against her neck, lipping at it, making Kagome giggle and press her cheek to her shoulder. "Now, now," she told him, patting his neck. "Let's get you saddled, hm?"

She slid the horse's bridle on, and then set to work on hauling the saddle over its back…which proved to be a problem, considering how short she was. The horse was especially tall and the saddle heavy. She couldn't swing it onto the horse's back.

"Shippo," she panted, finally giving up. "Could you maybe go and get Miroku-kun or Koga-kun or something? I can't get the saddle on."

"Yeah!" Shippo agreed eagerly, and then took off to get one of the men that assisted in the household.

If she'd had her pick of people, she would've sent Shippo after the Silver Prince, but Inuyasha had been busy lately. There had been reports of activity where the Kumo Lands bordered the Takahashi Lands, Kumo guards actually taking up stations there, just encouraging the rumor that a war was about to break out. The Inu no Taisho was constantly calling on Sesshomaru and Inuyasha to look at maps with him, devising out strategies with them for what to do.

Kagome pursed her lips unhappily at the fact that a war could actually possibly start. She'd heard demons speak of the war that had occurred after the four kingdoms had been formed, the last war. It had been a large, terrible war. Demons had decided to rid the world of humans.

This had been the time that the previous Silver Queen, Inu no Kimi, had passed on. The only ruler of the Takahashi Lands and Takahashi Palace, the Inu no Taisho had allowed refugees to come to the Takahashi Palace, and rescued humans that were going to be killed. This had been where he met Izayoi. He'd come across her on her way to death, starved, beaten, and half dead. The Inu no Taisho, who'd taken interest in her determined gaze, had rescued her alone.

Months later, the several years long war had ended, and the Inu no Taisho had taken Izayoi as his mate and wife, producing her as the next Silver Queen.

The war had killed thousands of people.

And Kagome wasn't fond of an even bigger war breaking out.

"Shippo said you needed help?"

Miroku's voice startled Kagome, and she smiled warmly at him as she turned to him, waving at the patiently waiting stallion. "Yes, could you get the saddle up onto his back? I can't reach and the saddle is too heavy.

Snorting in amusement, Miroku took the saddle from her and heaved it onto the horse's back, stepping back so she could tighten the straps. As she finished up, he said, "By the way, I sent Shippo to go play with Rin for a while. Is that alright?"

"Yes, that's fine," Kagome said, grasping the reins of the bridle and leading the horse towards the Takahashi Castle, where the person who was waiting to use him was waiting. The horse easily plodded along behind her, Miroku following as well. "I'm sure someone needs to keep Rin-chan occupied, seeing how Sesshomaru-sama has been planning so much with Inu no Taisho-sama and Inuyasha-sama. I know that Izayoi-sama has been bored. So has Sango-chan…" she trailed off thoughtful. "Miroku-kun, does Kikyo-sama have to come for there to be a party?"

Miroku contemplated her question, and then slowly shook his head. "I don't think so," he said slowly, licking dry lips as he spoke. "Why? You want to have another one?"

"I would kind of like that," Kagome said shyly. "I had fun, dancing with Inuyasha-sama, and watching people smiling like that. I know Nazuna's not here, but I could play the piano instead. Though I do kind of want to dance, too…"

"I'll tell you what," Miroku replied, smirking. "Play the piano for the first half, and Totosai and I can deal with the last half of the party. Most of the faster songs don't require the piano. Only the Higurashi's Waltz requires it, so we'll do the…Takahashi Court Dance." He snickered at this. "It's Izayoi's favorite. It's a really fast paced song for the game, and the Inu no Taisho likes to just whisk her across the floor during it."

Kagome giggled at this. "So shall I begin the rumor that there's a party tonight?" She said, handing the reins of the bay stallion to the man who was waiting. The man gave her a warm smile before mounting the horse and riding away.

"You do that," Miroku said, winking. "I'll tell Inuyasha and the rest of the family."

With a shared grin, Kagome went back to the stables to pick up her mess, and Miroku went to share the news of their planned party with Totosai, Inuyasha, Izayoi, Sesshomaru, and the Inu no Taisho.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

After picking up the last brush and tucking it into the bucket, Kagome set it aside, thoughtful. Then she smiled, going to retrieve the horse that she'd been given, a white stallion by the name of Sabe. Grazing in a specified area with a group of other horses, connected to a picket driven into the ground, all Kagome had to do was click her tongue and the horse was immediately tugging at the picket, trying to get free to come to her side.

Smiling, Kagome freed him, gripping his rope halter and rubbing his neck. "You're a good boy," she told him, smiling warmly at the horse. Sabe bobbed his head, nickering in response. Kagome tied him up, and then went to fetch a bridle and saddle for her own horse.

She quickly groomed and saddled the horse, expertly swinging up onto it, straddling the horse's back rather than sitting sidesaddle like most women may have done. Clicking her tongue and twisting the reins so that Sabe turned, she gently urged him into a walk, heading for the town, smiling slightly.

If she was going to play music for the party, she desperately wanted to look nice while doing so. She still had some kol from when she'd been given money for helping out around the Takahashi Castle. She already had the dress she'd purchased the last time she'd come here, but she'd seen a hair pin at Kagura's stall, and hoped she still had it.

Sabe started as a bird suddenly shrieked, fleeing from its perch in a tree, and gave a small rear, snorting and pinning his ears to his head. Kagome expertly leaned forward to force him back to the earth, turning him in a circle and rubbing his shoulder to relax him. "Sh," she soothed, urging the white horse forward. He quivered though he obeyed.

Suddenly, there was a flash of silver. Sabe gave a piercing shriek, this time rearing high into the air, nearly sending Kagome tumbling backwards. Clinging desperately to Sabe's mane, Kagome gasped in surprise. When Sabe landed, only to go to rear back up, Kagome shoved her weight forward, keeping him down and circling him to calm him.

"Oi, wench. Where the hell are you going by yourself?"

Kagome's temper flared as she recognized the voice and silver hair, continuing to circle her horse as she snapped angrily, "You can't just jump in front of half-wild horses, Inuyasha-sama! You could've made Sabe buck me off!'

Inuyasha merely smirked, snorting in amusement at her tone. "I can do whatever I want, thank you very much. Now where are you going by yourself?" he demanded, golden eyes narrowed and brow furrowed.

Kagome paused. Was that concern in his gaze? "I'm going to the Market," she explained, waving in the direction of said market. She paused, and then asked, "Would you like to come with me? I just want to stop at Kagura-san's stall and see if I can find a hair pin I saw the last time we were there. I doubt it will be, but she might have another one I can get."

Inuyasha blinked, shifting his weight. Finally, he answered, "…sure. Let's go then. Stop being slow." He smirked at Kagome, and then started for the Market with a grin on his face, ears pricked forward and listening. He paused, and then said, "You have that dagger of yours, right? Midoriko's?"

"Yes, it's right here." Kagome patted the sheathe at her hip, tilting her head as she urged Sabe after him. "Why?"

"There's a festival going on at the Market today," Inuyasha explained softly. "And well into the night, too. You see, most of the people here like my family, but this is the night hundreds of years ago when the last Silver Queen died. And those people that celebrate…they celebrate her death and hope Mother dies soon. They hope that the war comes so that there's even a tiny possibility that Mother is killed along with Father."

Kagome's eyes softened as she glanced down at him. Hesitating, she suddenly reached down and gave his ear a gentle tweak, making Inuyasha jump in surprise and growl a soft warning. But Kagome only smiled, laughing softly as she replied, "The war will happen." Her tone became serious, yet distant. As if she was talking from wisdom and memories rather than suspicion. "There's no doubt. The war will come, and people will die.

"But you have to remember. War usually turns out for the better. The last time there was a war, sure, the Silver Queen died. But there was a new Silver Queen, one that the Inu no Taisho-sama loves as much, maybe even better than Inu no Kimi-sama, Inuyasha-sama. The last time, there were no four kingdoms. Now there is, even if two of them are terrible. You know what good thing will come out of this war, Inuyasha-sama?

"Slavery will end, Inuyasha-sama. I have this feeling that everyone in our family at the Takahashi Castle, Miroku-kun, you, me. Even Shippo-kun, Izayoi-sama, and little Rin-chan. I have this feeling that all of us are going to suffer in the war. And I have this feeling that there will be something I have to do. Something…something that may end in a bad way." Kagome's voice cracked, but she continued. "But you know what? If it ends all this terrible stuff that happens, the slaves, the collars. The people who purchase slaves for their own…personal pleasure. Then I will willingly do what I have to. I don't want people to suffer anymore."

It was silent for a few moments, Kagome mulling over her thoughts, Inuyasha staring at her in surprise and awe.

Finally, Inuyasha declared, tone firm, "You, if war does really start, won't be getting near it. You're so clumsy; you'd only get in the way on the battle field. Besides, it's our kingdoms rule. Humans have to be eighteen years old to fight in battle. Demons have to be seventy five years."

"I am eighteen," Kagome said immediately. "Before Hikari-sama…err, my mother I guess. Before my mother and my father…damn," she said, giving a curse. "This is weird. If they're my parents, I wonder who the guy who was supposedly my father was…" she trailed off.

Inuyasha snorted, reaching up to prod at her leg with a claw. "You were saying?"

"Oh," Kagome smiled slightly, shaking her head to clear it before continuing her earlier statement. "Before my mother and father left to go to the Higurashi Lands with Sota and Kikyo, I talked with my mom a few times. I was curious myself, and she told me that I had been born on the first snow in the Higurashi Lands when she was twenty five years old. Now she's forty three years old. So we did the math, and figured out I'm eighteen. For some reason, she got really upset, started murmuring something to herself about me now being the eldest and some curse being passed down after someone was killed. Then she got sick and Izayoi-sama shooed me off to do my chores and to bathe Shippo."

Inuyasha scowled at this, obviously unhappy about it. "You still can't fight if it comes down to war," he told her. "You're a regular untrained human. Sango's a demon slayer with Kirara, a boomerang, and a ton of other stuff. Miroku's a monk. But you have nothing special that you know how to use."

"I can learn," Kagome protested, glancing up as the Market came into sight. Sabe shifted uneasily at the loud noises coming from it, as well as big bangs of fireworks. Kagome looked startled at them, but Inuyasha seemed unconcerned. "You could teach me, or Sango."

"No," Inuyasha said sharply. "You're not fighting if war breaks out, and that's that."

Kagome's eyes flashed and she pursed her lips. "I'll do what I want, Inuyasha-sama. I may have been a slave for at least a year and unpaid servant for the other fifteen, but you yourself made it so I'm not longer a slave. I can go off if I want. You pay me. I can find a job somewhere else, like Nazuna-san did. Kagura could possibly allow me to work in her stall and I could join the fighting like any other normal person. But if it comes down to war, I will fight."

Inuyasha just growled furiously, baring his fangs. "I'll tie you up and lock you up somewhere. I'm sure Sango will help me."

Kagome's temper snapped and she glared at him. "I will fight if I want to fight! I want to prove that I am no longer enslaved! That I'm a free woman now!" That said, Kagome urged Sabe into a canter, and her horse thundered into the Market, nearly trampling a few people that yelled at her. Ignoring them, she dismounted her horse, leading him among the busy streets, looking for Kagura's stall.

"Watch it," a man snapped as Sabe nearly trod on his foot, shooting Kagome a dark look.

"Sorry," Kagome apologized, wincing at the thought of Sabe stepping on her own foot. She'd felt that, and she knew that it didn't feel very good at all.

Finally, Kagome found the stall. Kagura beamed when she recognized the raven haired, gray eyed girl, greeting, "Why, hell there, Kagome-chan. You look much better than the last time I saw you. You feeling any better?"

Kagome smiled warmly. "Yes, thank you, Kagura-san. Err, I was wondering. Do you still have that hair pin I saw the last time we came here? I was going to buy it…"

"Sorry, dear," Kagura replied, shaking her head. "A woman bought it just yesterday." When she saw the disappointed look on Kagome's face, she smiled and offered, "There's another one that someone sold me today though, if you'd like to look at it. It hasn't been cleaned or polished, but it won't take you too long to do that part."

"Please do," Kagome said eagerly.

Kagura disappeared for a moment, and then returned, holding the pin out. Kagome examined it, curious, and her eyes lit up. It was gold, and there was a clearly visible bird in a birdcage. The bird had a ruby as its eye, and in its mouth, going through the bars of the cage, was a crystal flower.

"It's beautiful," Kagome gasped her eyes wide with awe. "How much is it?"

"Hm…my original price was going to be seven kol," Kagura mused. "But for you, it's free. Your name is Kagome. Bird cage. It matches you perfectly. So think of it as a gift."

Kagome's cheeks became red and she looked uncertain as she glanced at Kagura. "Are you sure, Kagura-san?" She said, flushing still.

"I'm positive," Kagura said firmly, her painted red lips tilted upwards in a smile. "Now, you go on and get back and clean it up. And I think your horse isn't very happy with so many people."

Kagome glanced up at Sabe, whose ears were pinned back against his head. Tucking the pin safely into the satchel at her side, she smiled at Kagura, grateful as she said, "Thank you so much, Kagura-san. If I find something I think you'd like, I'll bring it back and give it to you."

Kagura chuckled. "Thank you, Kagome-chan, but that won't be necessary. This pin will be what keeps you sane when that Silver Prince gets on your nerves."

Kagome replied, smirking, "Thank you again, Kagura-san, I need to leave now."

"Enjoy yourself. I think that man has his eyes set on you despite being engaged to Kikyo-sama," Kagura joked, giving her a wink.

Kagome merely giggled and led Sabe away.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome examined the pin in her hand, having finished polishing it up. It gleamed, and Kagome smiled at it brightly. Sango, who was peering over her shoulder, gave a low whistle as she said, "That thing looks like it's made of real gold, Kagome-chan. It's pretty, too. Are you going to wear it?"

"Yes, with that dress I purchased the last time we went to the Market. You know the gold and white one." Kagome glanced at their shared wardrobe, smiling. "I think the parties are the only things that I'll wear it, too."

"I have some eye-paint you can use if you want," Sango mused. "It's a dark colored one. It'll make your eyes show even more."

Kagome shook her head. "No thank you, Sango-chan. I don't like that kind of stuff. It's a pain to take it off." She stood, moving over to the wardrobe and pulling out the dress. She quickly shed the one she wore, replacing it with the white and gold one, and then set to work on brushing her hair out. Suddenly, the brush was taken from her hand, and Sango began to brush it out, saying, "Let me do your hair. I know exactly how to make it look perfect."

Kagome let a smile curl on her lips, allowing Sango to mess with her hair.

Only about half an hour later found the two women heading to the large room where the parties were held, arm in arm. "This is going to be fun," Sango said cheerfully, "We didn't have to clean up after supper, and you're going to play the game this time after playing the piano for the first half."

"I know," Kagome said, eagerly stepping into the room. Nobody had come yet, so the place was empty except for Miroku and Totosai, who were tuning up their respective instruments. At the sound of the two women approaching them, Miroku glanced up. His eyes rested on Sango for a brief moment, lighting up. Kagome nudged said woman with a grin. "Looks like Miroku-kun has his eyes set on you," she teased.

"Like I said last time," Sango replied, flushing red and avoiding Miroku's gaze, "I told him maybe if he can get this hentai thing together."

"Eh, you'll end up marrying him anyways," Kagome muttered with a smirk. She then went over to the piano Nazuna had given her, settling herself at the bench and running her fingers over the keys. "Hm…what are we playing?"

"Whatever we want," Miroku said simply. "In this case, since Totosai and I don't know how many songs you know, I think it's agreed that you get to choose all of the songs until you go to dance."

Totosai nodded as he fiddled with a string on his cello. "Fine with me."

Kagome played a few notes, smiling to herself as she did so. "Hm…Sango? Do you think it's alright if I play the Song of Midoriko?"

"I wouldn't, Kagome," Sango said gently, biting her lip thoughtfully. "A lot of people would recognize it and use it against you if war does break out. As in, turn you in as a hidden Higurashi royalty because only they or close friends know that song."

Kagome nodded, turning her attention back on the piano. "Alright, then I'll play some other songs. When do we start?"

"Right now if Totosai's done," Miroku answered, testing out his violin and drawing the bow across the instrument. A clear, pretty sound came from it, and a few of the other members of the household, who'd appeared and were waiting patiently perked up excitedly.

"I'm done," Totosai grumbled, testing his cello out as well. Kagome followed up with a few keys, and an excited chattering picked up.

Kagome giggled, then began to play, her fingers sweeping across the keys in a popular, happy song as the boy who'd asked Kagome to dance with him the last part, Aki, came up to Sango and dragged her off. Miroku grinned, and even old Totosai gave a hint of a smile as they joined in with the playing, Miroku's gaze locked on Sango as she whirled around at a quick pace with Aki, laughing, eyes glowing happily.

As they played the music, Miroku said without pausing in his playing, "So who are you going to dance with for the game tonight?"

"I don't know," Kagome admitted sheepishly. "I don't want to ask anyone, because I know almost everyone has a partner already…" she trailed off, her fingers climbing the higher notes of the piano before trailing to some lower ones.

Miroku hummed thoughtfully, and then smirked, saying, "I'll dance with you if you want. I know Kaede knows how to play the Takahashi Court Dance. She says she's too elderly and her bones creak when she dances. I'm sure she'll take my place."

Kagome glanced at him, a grateful smile on her face. "You would?" When he nodded, sweeping his bow across the violin. "Thank you, Miroku-kun. I bet we'll be the first ones to beat Inuyasha-sama and Sango-chan!"

"Eh, I haven't danced in quite a long time," Miroku mused, "I may not be good enough to keep up with you."

"Oh, we'll just have to wait and see, now won't we," Kagome replied with a laugh. As the current song ended, she began the notes of the next one and Miroku and Totosai picked it up quickly. "I'll make you a deal. You make it long enough to at least tire Sango out, I'll get her to let you escort her back up to our room alone."

Miroku's violet eyes lit up happily. "That would be greatly appreciated, Kagome."

They fell silent then, focusing intently on playing their instruments while members of the household continued to arrive right along with Izayoi and Toga, Sesshomaru and Rin, and then finally Inuyasha, whose golden gaze flickered to Kagome for the briefest of moments, eyes softening at the bright smile on her face, before he moved on to find Sango.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

After only a few hours, two at the most, of playing the piano, Miroku finally said, "Kagome, why don't you go and get warmed up for the game? I know Shippo's dying to dance with you," he paused, waving at said kitsune before continuing, "Though I'd appreciate it if you could ask Kaede to come speak with me before you go and dance."

Kagome glanced at him as her fingers played the last notes of their current song. "You sure?"

"You go ahead and dance, young girl," Totosai rasped from where he was sitting comfortably, playing his cello. "We'll handle the music ourselves."

"Thanks Totosai-san, Miroku-kun," Kagome said gratefully, popping her knuckles and wrists as she stood. She pushed the piano bench under the actual instrument, and then went to find Kaede. When she found the elderly healer humming along to the tune, comfortably settled beside a few other elderly women, she politely nodded her head and said, "Excuse me, but Kaede-san? Miroku-kun would like to speak with you."

"Of course," Kaede sighed, heaving herself to her feet. "I'll speak with you two tomorrow," she told the other women, giving a smile to them. They bid their farewells, and then Kaede was hobbling over to where Miroku was waiting.

Having accomplished her task, Kagome searched the people to find Shippo. Finally finding the small kitsune chattering with Rin, who was sitting beside the ever emotionless and silent Sesshomaru, she smiled and moved over to say, "Excuse me, Rin-chan, but I believe I heard Shippo wanted to dance?"

"Yes!" Shippo cried excitedly, leaping to his small fox feet, smiling toothily up at her. Then he glanced guiltily at Rin, who just beamed and said, "That's alright, I'll dance with Sesshomaru-sama. Right, Sesshomaru-sama?"

Sesshomaru glanced over at Rin, his hard gaze softening for a brief moment. "Hn," was his simple, muttered reply as he stood, offering a clawed hand. Rin's tiny one accepted his and soon Sesshomaru was almost playfully dancing with the young girl.

Startled at the sign of affection from Sesshomaru, Kagome turned to Shippo, scooping him up. "Come on, then, you," she teased, giving him a hug. "Let's dance!"

Kagome was soon twirling around with Shippo, who giggled wildly as they did so. They passed Sango, who was now dancing with the servant from a few days before, Shoji. Shoji, instead of wearing the scowl Kagome remembered him seeing, was grinning as Sango laughed and allowed him to twirl her in a circle. When Sango caught Kagome's eye, she winked and Kagome giggled.

After a while, Shippo grew bored with dancing and darted off to chase after Rin, who'd also abandoned dancing to play with Aki. All three, along with a few other children, engaged in a game of hide and seek, weaving between adults, who chuckled and continued dancing or resting.

Kagome took a moment to rest against a wall, catching her breath. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes sparkling with amusement and happiness, yet still just as soul-piercing as ever, Inuyasha noticed as he approached her. Noticing him, Kagome raised her head proudly, patiently waiting until he'd come into earshot to say, "You going to apologize for being a rude jerk earlier, Inuyasha-sama?"

Inuyasha snorted in amusement and irritation, scowling and rolling his eyes. "Feh," he muttered, leaning against the wall beside her. "I don't need to apologize for anything. I decided you're not going to fight in the war _if_ it breaks out. My word is law unless my mother says otherwise. I can punish you if you fight anyways, though I doubt I'd be allowed to."

Kagome sighed, scowling. "Now you're just ruining the evening," she grumbled unhappily.

"So are you participating in the game tonight?" Inuyasha asked, deciding to change the subject before she ran off to dance with some other man.

"Yep!" Kagome's eyes lit up again and she grinned. "Miroku and I are going to try and defeat you and Sango. Hopefully you two can get defeated. Or that I can at least outlast Sango. She seems to be a challenge."

"And I'm not?" Inuyasha said, pouting.

"No, not really," Kagome teased with a slight smile, ignoring wide eyed looks as she tweaked one of his ears. Inuyasha shot her a dark look, but didn't bite her as he would've done to anyone else. He just couldn't say no when she gazed at him with those clear gray eyes.

"Good luck with that," Inuyasha scoffed, "Nobody has ever beaten us since Sango became my partner in the game."

"Then we'll see about that," Kagome said with a grin. Inuyasha playfully shoved at her, dancing out of the way before she could retaliate.

Just then, Miroku appeared, violet eyes gleaming with mischief as he snickered, "Look who's flirting."

Kagome flushed and Inuyasha glowered at him, but Miroku ignored it, waving them off before saying, "It's almost time for the game, you two. Ready?"

"You're seriously going to try and beat Sango, hm?" Inuyasha taunted.

"Hell yes," Miroku shot back with a smirk. "And I have a feeling that Kagome's going to do it. Come on, Kagome, let's go get ready." He offered her a hand, watching Inuyasha's response with gleaming eyes as the half-demon glared at his hand, lips pulling back in a snarl.

Kagome didn't seem to notice as she licked her lips, accepting his hand.

It was only a few seconds later that the famous rapid succession of quick notes came from the instruments being played alerted the party of the fun that was about to begin. Miroku grinned as he took Kagome's right hand in his left, placing his other on her waist. As Kagome placed her own other hand on his shoulder, he muttered, "Ready?"

Kagome winked at him. "You bet."

The music began, and they were dancing.

Multiple couples stopped after only a few minutes of dancing, but some, such as the Inu no Taisho and his wife, Inuyasha and Sango, Miroku and Kagome, and even Rin and Shippo, who'd decided to dance together, continued the quick pace.

It wasn't long before almost everyone but the four couples had dropped out. Next were Shippo and Rin, who merely flopped down against a wall near Sesshomaru, panting for breath, but grinning and giggling wildly.

As Miroku and Kagome swept past Toga and Izayoi, Kagome couldn't help but notice the rare look of utter love on the Silver Queen's face as she gazed at the Inu no Taisho. In response, his gaze was soft with adoration, and he pressed his lips to her forehead before finally drawing to a halt, smiling gently when his wife pouted, whispering something to her.

"Just us, Sango, and Inuyasha now."

Miroku's words caught Kagome off guard and she nearly stumbled in result. But she caught herself with Miroku's assistance, replying, "We can beat them." Her tone was determined, eyes glowing with excitement.

In the corner of here eye, someone leaned over to Kaede, who'd taken over Miroku's position, whispering into her ear. Kaede smiled slightly, and then the speed of the song picked up, Totosai following suit.

Not too far away, Kagome heard Sango curse in surprise as they were forced to speed up. Kagome easily stepped it up, telling Miroku under her breath, "Keep your breathing even, Miroku-kun. It'll tire you out faster if you don't."

"Got it," Miroku replied, though he was panting for breath.

Only a few moments later, Sango caught Miroku's eye. They locked gazes, and Miroku glanced from Kagome to Inuyasha. Sango winked in response and suddenly Sango twirled out of Inuyasha's grasp, moving into Miroku's, while Miroku spun Kagome towards Inuyasha, trading places with the Silver Prince. "Good plan," Sango muttered to him, stopping to pant for breath.

"Eh, I was getting tired," Miroku gasped in response, resting his forehead against hers.

Meanwhile, Kagome froze in shock, staring up at the just as bewildered Inuyasha, meeting his golden gaze with her silver one. "Err-"

"Keep going!"

"Dance!"

"Speed it up!"

"Finally someone beat the unbeatable Sango!"

Multiple cries from the people watching who was left made Inuyasha smirk and Kagome flush. "Now then," Inuyasha murmured to her, replacing where Miroku's hands had been with his own large, clawed ones. "Don't want to disappoint them, do you?"

Kagome's cheeks became even redder, as she daintily placed her hand in his. "Suppose not," she muttered back.

Inuyasha gave a full grin as he whisked the young woman across the floor, locking gazes with her, neither noticing the knowing look Izayoi and Toga shot each other, or the smirks Miroku and Sango sent their way, instead falling into their own little world.

And they remained that way for a long time.

That is, until someone suddenly pushed free of the other people as Inuyasha twirled Kagome, expertly sliding Inuyasha's hand away to grip Kagome's, pulling her so that she was suddenly flush against the cloaked person's chest.

Inuyasha snarled in surprise, ears flattening angrily, and not too far away, Toga suddenly stalked forward, drawing a sword from it's sheathe at his back. Sesshomaru also stepped forward, hand touching the hilt of the sword at his hip, along with a few others drawing katanas.

Kagome was confused. Why were they drawing their weapons? Why did everyone look terrified, furious? Why were their expressions one of horror?

It took a few moments to process it, but then realization dawned across her face as she felt the sharp, cold blade of a knife at her throat.

"Hello there, little witch, I've been lookin' for ya." a voice breathed in her ear with a sneer.

The word rippled through the air.

_Assassin. _


	9. Tasks

Blood trickled down Kagome's neck as the knife held by the man holding her prisoner pressed sharply against her skin, threatening to pierce clean through it and kill her with a simple flick of the wrist. Kagome hissed in pain, her fingers seeking her skirts.

"Been lookin' for ya a while," the man rasped, this time a little louder. His hidden face, cloaked by the cloak he wore, twisted into a triumphant smirk. "Quite a long while, Kikyo_-sama_."

Kagome froze, frowning.

Oh. So she was being mistaken for Kikyo.

Inuyasha stepped closer with a furious growl; his golden eyes flashing with pure rage, Tetsusaiga wielded before him, but froze when Kagome gasped. The man had pressed the blade even further into her neck.

Swallowing nervously, Kagome went still, her fingers just barely skimming her goal.

"Usually," the man said aloud, glaring around at the silent crowd he had, "People would be screaming. Why ain't you screaming?!"

Sango exchanged a fearful look with Miroku, who had protectively stepped in front of her. Izayoi made a sound of distress and Toga spared his mate a quick look to make sure she was safe from whatever was going on. Sesshomaru was glowering at the assassin, his posture suggesting that a slow and painful death would come to him if he even tried to lay a hand on the young and scared Rin.

Kagome silently strained her hand and fingers. _So…close!_

The Inu no Taisho suddenly spoke in a deep growl. "What do you want? Assassins are supposed to do their jobs silently and in the shadows. Not out in the open during a gathering."

The man snickered. "Oh, I'm not an assassin. I'm jus' a man that's growin' tired of all this nonsense. You tryin' to free my slaves? Ha! Makes me laugh!" Just to prove his point, the man laughed loudly and spat a glob of saliva onto the floor.

Inuyasha looked startled. "You're not an assassin?"

The man glared at the half-demon Silver Prince, curling a lip into a sneer. "I wish I was and could get the job of killing a bastard half-breed like you."

Without hesitation and before Inuyasha could move, in a burst of anger, Kagome slid Midoriko's blade free, twirling it in her fingers before expertly holding it up so that it was pointed at his own neck. "Say that again," she said in a low tone, her eyes flashing dangerously, the image of the blade quivering as a soft glow appeared around it. "I dare you."

The man went tensed with surprise, and the many people shifted nervously, some giving gasps of surprise at the sight of the blade Kagome wielded. He then snarled in her ear, demanding, "Just who the hell do you think you are, threatening me? You're just a human bitch that thinks she's special because she's a princess."

Kagome gave a sickly sweet smile that held no warmth. "Oh, I'm not Kikyo-sama. You should pay attention to who you're grabbing and threatening." Then, deciding she might as well get herself out of trouble, she sliced her knife in an ark towards his arm.

But the demon moved fast.

He easily parried the blow, then twisted Kagome's arm harshly. Kagome cried out in surprise, the dagger falling from her grasp. Then he slashed at her with his own knife before leaping back as Kagome slumped to the ground, laughing manically.

Inuyasha snarled, eyes snapping red and he leaped into an attack without hesitation, slicing at the man with his Tetsusaiga. But he somehow dodged once again, dancing out of the way.

"Can the half-breed not keep up with a full blooded demon?" the man taunted, snickering.

Inuyasha just growled, barely flinching as a thrown knife barely skimmed his purple striped cheek.

But even Inuyasha's proud demon side knew when to back out of a fight, especially when his father's aura suddenly flared, a fast and powerful wind picking up and nearly sending more than one person sprawling. Miroku was forced to catch Sango, stopping her from hitting the ground as Toga suddenly transformed, his massive dog form just brushing the tall ceiling.

The building had, after all, been built for a family of dog demons.

Meanwhile, from her spot in her own blood, Kagome lifted herself from the floor, tightly clamping a hand over the grave slash on her neck that continued to pour blood, her face pale as she scrambled for her knife. The man glanced down, curling his lip in a sneer as he reached down to grab her, intent on using her as a shield.

Desperate, Kagome picked up her dagger and drove it into the man's foot, wincing at the sound as she withdrew it.

As the man howled in pain, Inuyasha barked out, still in his full demon form, **"Kagome. Over here. Now."**

"No complaints here," Kagome gasped, sheathing her dagger before stumbling away from the demon that had attacked, her face pale and a gasp escaping her limps as she nearly tripped and fell. But Inuyasha caught her, gently pushing her into Kaede's grasp so that the old woman could help before turning his attention intently upon the demon, who was taunting the Inu no Taisho.

"So the pathetic dog had to change forms in order to fight," the man that had attacked laughed, hissing strangely. "Should I change forms as well? Oh, but I wouldn't want to ruin you lovely home…" Izayoi cupped her hands over her mouth, her breath catching in her throat when he added, "Maybe I'll kill all of your family and take the Silver Queen for myself. I'm sure we could have some…fun." He smirked, shooting a heated glance at Izayoi.

Toga, who usually had a cool calm control over himself, lost it.

The dog demon was upon the man in an instant, not seeming to care that blood was spattering everyone and anyone as he tore into the demon. A deep growl came from him as he easily jerked the head off of the man, hearing the satisfactory sound of bones snapping and the man's screams cut off.

Izayoi quivered behind him, her eyes wide with horror.

Silence fell over the room as Toga remained standing over the man with a furious expression on his face, looking ready to just tear back into the demon a second time. But then he stepped back, changing back to his humanoid form, wiping an arm at the blood that was around his mouth, staining the white sleeves of his shirt. Shooting a look at his eldest son, he said, "See that Rin is taken back to her room and is with a guard at all times. Then make sure this is cleaned up. Inuyasha-"

**"I'm not doing anything,"** he snapped, interrupting his father. Inuyasha's red eyes gleamed with a challenge as he proudly raised his chin. His voice was gravely and deep as he rasped, **"She needs seen to first."**

The Inu no Taisho nodded, barely looking over as he said, not wanting to aggravate his son's demon side when he appeared to have a string of control over it. "See that young Kagome is cared for. Kaede, go with them."

"Yes, Toga," Kaede rasped, nodding politely before turning her attention on the still growling Inuyasha and the heavily bleeding Kagome, who looked like she was going to pass out at any moment. Glancing at a young woman, she said firmly, "Give me your apron please, Kato-chan."

"Of course, Kaede-san," Kato gasped, tearing her apron off and moving over to assist, gently tearing the apron into strips and pressing the cloth to Kagome's neck. Inuyasha growled unhappily at first, but allowed it.

He led the way through the slowly scattering crowd, some of which looked nervous at the sight of all the blood, anxious for the girl who'd grown on so many people in such a short time.

"Inuyasha-sama," Kagome rasped, wincing as she spoke, tasting blood on her tongue, "I-"

**"Shut up,"** he hissed, shooting her a furious look. She winced, lowering her gaze, and he felt a brief feeling of guilt that he quickly pushed away. If she talked, it could make her injury worse. And he'd rather not have to beg his brother for help.

Which brought the Silver Prince to another point.

Why in the name of Kami was he so anxious at the sight of Kagome's blood? Just the smell of it made his own boil, threatening to make him lose the small string of control he had. He was…scared. Scared for her. Scared that if they didn't hurry to the infirmary, she'd die and he would be left not knowing what to do with himself.

He was scared she would _die_.

Kaede stepped into the infirmary first, not caring about manners for now as she pushed Kagome towards a cot. She set the young woman down on it, and then quickly gathered what she would need under the watchful and careful eye of Inuyasha.

Kagome hesitated, and then reached over, huffing as she tugged on Inuyasha's arm. She had the faintest feeling that she'd be snapped at if she spoke.

Inuyasha's red gaze was immediately upon her, and she noticed for the first time that he was full demon. Swallowing nervously, she stared firmly at him, her meaning clear in her gaze.

_Calm down._

The words filled his mind, and against his will, Inuyasha found himself relaxing, the red receding and the gold reappearing in his eyes, which gentled considerably compared to the dark, angry gaze of his other self. The purple stripes disappeared as well, leaving his smooth cheeks unmarred. A dog ear flicked and she said softly, tone raspy, "Better?"

Inuyasha snorted in amusement. He'd bet next month's kol that this woman had no idea what she'd just done to him. "Better," he admitted, "Now shut up and stop talking, it'll make your wound worse."

Kagome flushed at the concern in his gaze, turning her attention away and onto Kato as she gently pulled a cloth away, dipping a fresh one in water and gently cleaning the injury. "You're very lucky, Kagome-chan," Kato said sternly, "A little bit lower and he would've killed you."

"But he didn't," Inuyasha said sharply. "And nobody will."

"Relax, Inuyasha," Kaede said firmly as she appeared, taking over what Kato was doing. She finished cleaning the wound, then began to wrap Kagome's throat carefully, aware of the haunted look that appeared in the young woman's eyes. "Don't worry, Kagome-chan," she reassured gently, patting the younger woman's shoulder. "This won't be like your collar was, I'll make sure it is comfortably and doesn't hurt you."

Kagome's tensed form relaxed and she whispered, "Thank you, Kaede-san."

"Just Kaede is fine," the elder replied, wrapping the bandage carefully before tying it off, checking the bandaging before waving Inuyasha over, saying, "Test them with your claws please."

Inuyasha blinked in surprise, but obeyed, moving over and gently sliding a claw between the bandages and her skin, tugging gently on them. Kagome flinched, but didn't make a sound other than clicking her jaws together nervously. "They're good," he reported, glancing curiously at the young injured woman.

Kagome looked unhappy, he noticed to his annoyance. Kagome shouldn't be unhappy, she should've happy, smiling even.

He huffed, growling gruffly, "You alright now?"

Kagome blinked. And then a smile lit up her face, happy at the concern from him, her eyes sparkling and making him relax. "I'm fine, Inuyasha-sama. I'll be okay." She paused suddenly, and then said, hesitantly, "Why were your eyes red, Inuyasha-sama?"

Inuyasha stiffened, then explained hesitantly, "I…I went full demon. I lost control, sort of. This time I knew what was going on. When I lose control, I don't have any idea of what I'm doing, who I've killed. I don't get why I had control this time."

Kagome was thoughtful as she touched the bandaging on her neck. Kaede shot her an evil eye and Inuyasha growled, gently smacking her hand away. She shot him a curious look and he muttered, "Don't mess with it, you'll make it worse."

Kagome giggled as he flushed. "Maybe you wanted control?" she suggested.

He shook his head. "I always want control. It's never happened before."

"You didn't seem to notice," Kaede said in her raspy voice, "I don't think even your demon side knew you had transformed. Now, onto more serious matters." Inuyasha puffed up in anger. "Your problem is important, but what I want to know is: Midoriko's blade glowed."

Inuyasha stiffened, looking confused. "It glowed?"

"When you had it pointed at his throat," Kaede explained, "It glowed a light blue. Normally, pink would mean that you're a miko. But I've never seen one with blue powers."

"People keep saying she's powerful," Inuyasha said slowly, studying Kagome with an intense golden gaze. Kagome glanced between the two, looking confused. "When the old man says someone is powerful, strong, than that means they're going to be seriously powerful. He doesn't call anyone weaker than him powerful, other than me with my Tetsusaiga and Sesshomaru with his sword."

Kagome frowned. "What are you talking about?" she demanded, "I'm not anything, I'm just –"

"_Kagome_!"

She grunted in surprise as a small ball of kitsune slammed into her chest, nearly knocking her off of the cot. Inuyasha growled, clicking his jaws in warning, knowing the kitsune would understand. But he didn't seem to care as he sobbed into Kagome's shoulder.

"I was…I was so scared," Shippo wailed, tightly clutching her.

Kagome's eyes softened and Inuyasha was forced to accept the fact that the kitsune was obviously more important to Kagome than he was at the moment. He sighed. That's how it was supposed to be, though.

Kaede, a knowing expression on her face, sent him a sympathetic look, and he glared at her until she looked away.

"It's alright," Kagome crooned softly to the kitsune kit, soothingly running her fingers through his red hair. "Nobody was…well, killed. I can't say no one was injured, can I?"

Shippo gave a shaky laugh, nuzzling against her, taking comfort in her scent and warmth.

Inuyasha turned away, gritting his teeth with an irritated expression on his face. "I'm going to go talk with my father about what we'll need to do to make sure nobody else gets in," he muttered, expressionless and emotionless. Without another word, he ducked out of the infirmary, leaving a hurt looking Kagome.

She glanced at Kaede, bewildered. "Did I do something wrong, Kaede-san?"

"No, child," Kaede chuckled. "No, do not worry about Inuyasha."

Kagome pursed her lips, and then glanced over again when Kaede suggested, "I will speak with Izayoi about it, but I would like to test you and see if you truly are a miko. If you are truly a miko, you will be able to do much more than a regular servant fighting in a war. Izayoi has a small, very small, amount of powers herself. Barely noticeable, but there none the less. She will be interested to find out this information."

Kagome frowned. "But-"

Her protest was cut off. "With Izayoi's permission, I will test you in the forest tomorrow."

Determining she had no way out of it, Kagome sighed, hugging Shippo tightly. "Yes, Kaede-san."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Kagome shifted nervously beside Sango, who held a massive boomerang in one hand comfortably, glancing at her. "Sango-chan?" She said nervously, "Do you know what I'll be doing?"

Sango shook her head, a smile on her face. "The ways of Mikos are guarded even more aggressively than those of demon slayers," she told her, "but it has more to do with your mind than physical strength. If you truly are a miko, than it could mean more than you think. Just one, powerful miko could stop a war, Kagome."

Kagome blinked at this, tilting her head. "How?" she asked.

"Except for the Higurashis, which are our allies, the rest of the kingdoms royalty are made up of demons," Sango explained. "The Ookamis are wolf demons. The Ryuu are dragon demons. The Kumo," she paused when Kagome flinched, "are spider demons. And the Takahashis are dog demons. One miko that is powerful enough could easily purify every single demon in existence."

Kagome stiffened. "And I could be strong enough to do that?" She sounded scared. She didn't like the idea of being able to kill so many people. She wasn't a killer. She hated the idea of killing someone, even hurting them. Excluding the fact that she'd stabbed a man in the foot to get away.

"Yeah," Sango said gently, smiling warmly at her. "You could. But Kagome, you don't understand. If the Kumo and Ryuu get wind of the fact that we have one of the strongest Mikos in existence, it could be enough to stop even the idea of a war."

Kagome bit her lip, silently nodding her agreement as Miroku moved to stand beside them, winking playfully at her. "Hello, ladies."

"Just what are you doing here?" Kagome asked suddenly. "Both of you, I mean, why are you here? I thought this was a secret part of the forest?"

Sango snickered. "Oh, it is. We came to help. Kirara is here, too," she said, smoothing the Nekomata's fur when she clawed her way up to Sango's shoulder. "Inuyasha's offered to assist, too."

"Do I want to know how you're helping?" Kagome said warily.

Miroku smirked as Inuyasha appeared from the trees, striding over. His sharp ears had easily caught her question and the half-demon answered simply, "You have multiple tasks to see how your powers and mind work. Mother and Kaede will simply watch. Sango, Kirara, and I will fight you." When Kagome's face paled, he reassured gently, his voice surprising them when it softened, "We won't hurt you though. We'd never hurt you."

Kagome's face lit up in a bright smile, though it held a slight nervousness as she sent the silver haired man a warm look. "I would hope not, Inuyasha-sama."

He searched her gaze for a moment, twitching his ears before continuing. "Miroku, however, will do something else."

"I'll be attempting to go into your mind," Miroku told her, violet eyes thoughtful. "You'll be trying to keep me from getting through any of your memories. Only life forms with spiritual powers are able to do this. I have them, nowhere near as powerful as yours should hopefully be, but I have them none the less."

Kagome froze. "My memories?"

"Your memories," he confirmed.

Kagome shook her head, looking unhappy. "No. You can't go through those. You can't see what's happened. No."

"Then you'll simply need to protect your mind," Sango told her, reassuringly rubbing her shoulder. Inuyasha attempted his own version of comfort by saying gruffly, "Miroku won't search through any unhappy memories. Will you?"  
Miroku shrugged. "I can't control what I see, but I'll try my best to stick with recent memories."

Feeling slightly reassured, Kagome relaxed. "Alright," she replied softly, "Can we start?"

"Yes, you can," Izayoi said briskly as she walked over, the Inu no Taisho shadowing her every move as usual, his golden eyes piercing and expression emotionless. Kaede followed at a slower pace. "We're about to begin. I take it that they have explained what you will be doing. We will start with Sango, as she is, no offense, dear, the weakest out of her, Inuyasha, and Kirara."

"Sango will be using her Hiraikotsu," Kaede rasped, waving at the massive boomerang. "I want you to make a barrier if you can. Imagine a shield going up between you and Sango's weapon, and she'll try not to let it hit you if you can't."

Kagome closed her eyes for a brief moment, and then nodded, opening her eyes. "I'm ready."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

Inuyasha stood anxiously beside his mother and father, eyes narrowed with irritation and his ears flat against his head as he watched Sango get into a ready defensive, Kagome standing before her with a slightly pale face. "This is a bad idea," he mumbled, "She's still hurt."

"She will be fine, no harm will come to her, son," Toga rumbled, obviously amused.

Izayoi glanced at him as well. "Kagome has grown on you, hasn't she?" When Inuyasha's cheeks flushed, she chuckled. "I see. So you have grown to like her as much as I adore my husband." Inuyasha flattened his ears, huffing, and she laughed again. "It's alright, dear."

"It's not right though," he protested, groaning. "I need to marry Kikyo. Not Kagome."

Izayoi sighed softly, her eyes gentle. "I know. I know. We will figure it out, Inuyasha, dear. I promise. Now that we know Kagome is the true Higurashi princess, then perhaps we can speak with Jakobe and Hikari about it. I don't know how Kikyo would do in response, but… if you really wanted…."

Inuyasha looked at her in surprise. "You're serious?"

"If it's what you want," Toga said, agreeing with his mate, amused. "We needed the alliance. But with Kagome here and Hikari back home, we have the alliance anyways."

"And you deserve to marry someone who doesn't mind that you're half-demon like Kikyo does," Izayoi murmured. "It's not right that she judges you. Kagome doesn't care, and even argues with you. Don't think I haven't noticed, Inuyasha, she has a unique way of making you feel guilty."

He just stuck his tongue out at her, focusing his attention back on the girl they'd been discussing.

Sango finally struck.

Swinging her Hiraikotsu in a large arc, keeping a hold on it, she aimed it easily at Kagome, thought was careful so that she could avoid Kagome if she needed to.

But it wasn't needed.

Not just one barrier went up, but two, a normal one along with one in the particular space that Hiraikotsu slammed into it. Kagome's expression had gone blank; her gray eyes strangely blank as her hands moved on their own, and a wisp of the barrier curling around Hiraikotsu.

"Her soul is outside of her body," Kaede gasped, her eyes snapping wide with awe, and then nervousness. "That is meant only for highly trained Mikos, Izayoi. We should stop her."

Izayoi nodded. "Kagome!"

Kagome snapped out of it. The wisp sucked back up into the barrier before the barriers faded, leaving her looking bewildered and confused as Sango's Hiraikotsu clattered to the ground. "Yes?"

"Good job, Kagome," Izayoi praised with a bright smile. Beside her, Inuyasha's ears flattened.

"Normally," Toga rumbled suddenly, startling his mate when he interrupted her. "We would go through the order of human, half-demon, and then full blooded demon. But I believe we should save Inuyasha for last, as I have decided upon something."

"Y-yes, Toga-sama," Kagome stammered, exchanging a confused look with Inuyasha, who looked just as lost as her. "Then am I protecting myself from Kirara now?"

"No," Kaede decided, frowning thoughtfully. "I believe we should test your control over your powers now. We wouldn't want you purifying Kirara."

Kirara mewled, transforming into her larger form and shaking her fur out, her large saber fangs displayed for all to see.

"What I want you to do," Kaede instructed the nervous Kagome, is see if you can control your powers enough to just barely sting her. Is that alright Kirara?" The twin tail gave a nod, and the elderly woman smiled. "Good. You may start."

Kagome hesitated, then closed her eyes as she had done before, summoning the strength of the tidal wave just beneath her fingertips. It gently brushed against her hand, under her control.

But then it gave a sudden violent surge and with a surprised cry from Kagome, the power exploded forward in the form a twister forming around her, snapping furiously and crackling. Kirara screeched in surprise, leaping into the air and away to avoid it. Toga cursed, leaping into the safety of the trees. Inuyasha hid behind his mother.

"Oh Kami help us," Miroku breathed, his eyes full of awe.

"Kagome," Izayoi called desperately over the sound of the power raging around the miko. "That's enough."

Kagome shot her a panicked look. "I don't know how to stop," she wailed, her gray eyes panicked. Inuyasha growled at the fear coming from her.

"Relax," Kaede soothed in her raspy tone. "Calm down, and allow it to slow. I noticed what you did yesterday with Inuyasha's mind. Do that."

Kagome pursed her lips, her gray eyes full of unshed tears of terror and confusion. "I don't know how," she whimpered.

"Push your voice into the air without using your lips," Izayoi told her, flinching when Inuyasha's claws dug into her shoulder as he yelped in pain.

Kagome inhaled sharply, closing her eyes again.

_"No,"_ she whispered to the air, her eyes snapping open again as the power faded. She grunted in surprise as exhaustion hit her and she nearly crumpled to the ground. Inuyasha darted forward to help her, but Izayoi held him back. "Leave her, Inuyasha."

After a few moments, Kagome caught her breath, straightening, looking upset. "Sorry."

"It's fine, better than fine, that was obviously just a hint of what power you may have," Izayoi reassured, smiling gently at Kagome. "You cannot control it."

"Let her stop," Inuyasha demanded. Sango agreed by nodding her head, looking almost frightened. "Let her stop messing around, it's making her tired, Mother. Just leave her alone!"

Izayoi shot her son a look and he immediately backed away, flattening his ears. "If there is a war, dear, there is no leaving her alone and letting her stop. She needs to get past being tired from using her powers." She turned her gaze back on Kagome, who was rubbing her temples.

Returning to his mate's side, the Inu no Taisho waved his son forward and Inuyasha glared at him, though listened and hesitantly stood before Kagome, his gaze apologetic. Kagome shot him a meek smile. "Unsheathe your Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha," Toga ordered in a low rumble. Confused, the half-demon did as told.

"Defend yourself against my son and the Tetsusaiga, Kagome," Toga said simply, eyes gleaming curiously. "Use a barrier, or use your powers. Don't be afraid to purify him and the sword, it won't kill either, only temporarily change them."

Kagome winced at the idea, looking hesitant. Inuyasha didn't look very happy either, she noted.

One look from the Inu no Taisho, and Inuyasha raised his sword. Kagome flinched; he only rested it on his shoulders, studying her patiently as he slid into his battle mode.

Kagome contemplated.

And then she smiled.

One smile was all it took to bring the half-demon to surrender.

He lowered his sword, watching as it transformed, and growled angrily at his father, furious as his and Izayoi's laughter rang out. Kagome flushed, ducking her head, and he snapped, "Oi! That wasn't funny. Damn wench," he mumbled the last part under his breath. "And her stupid smile."

"That was just what I wanted," Toga reassured the confused Kagome, surprisingly not serious as he glanced at Miroku, waving the monk forward. "Let us see how you handle the last and ultimate test of a miko, Kagome."

Miroku heaved a sigh as he moved over, waving at the ground, saying gently, "Why don't you sit down? If you want, you can have Sango come and sit by you-"

"Inuyasha-sama," she interrupted softly, hesitant. "Can Inuyasha-sama come sit by me?"

"If that's what you want," Miroku said.

Inuyasha pretended to grumpily grumble as he walked over again, flopping down beside the woman that had once been a slave. Kagome giggled, and his annoyed glance softened considerably. "Stupid wench."

Kagome merely stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

Izayoi nodded firmly from where she watched. "We'll speak with Jakobe and Hikari as soon as possible."

Toga chuckled. "I'll send a message after this."

Miroku sat in front of Kagome, his legs folded as he leaned forward saying softly, "Ready?"

Kagome bit her lip, her laughter fading, and Inuyasha gave a reassuring rumble beside her. Taking comfort in the sound, she nodded.

Miroku gently pressed his hands to the side of her head, closing his own eyes.

Images flashed through his mind, going backwards from the moment they were in now. From smiling at Inuyasha to first seeing Shippo to reuniting with her mother. From her first impression of the castle, to her travels across the Kumo deserts. From the moment she received her collar to-

Panic suddenly flooded his mind, coming from Kagome at the face in her head. _No!_ Her voice cried inside his head. With a sudden forceful shove within in her mind, Miroku found himself toppling backwards, cursing in surprise as Kagome burst into sobs, burying her face in her hands. "You said you wouldn't go back too far!" she wailed.

Inuyasha was growling angrily at Miroku in an instant, Sango rushing over along with Izayoi and Kaede, Toga hanging back with an uncertain look. "What's wrong with you?" the half-demon shouted at Miroku, then whirling on his mother. "I told you to leave her alone!"

Kagome didn't hear him; she was too busy crying, sobbing, gasping for breath desperately as she suddenly turned, and shuddering violently to bury her face in Inuyasha's shoulder. The half-demon growled viciously when Kaede tried to touch the miko, enveloping her in his arms as he pulled her into his lap. _Fuck keeping away from her and not touching her right now,_ he snarled furiously in his head, _she's more important!_

He snapped his jaws warningly when Sango tried to smooth Kagome's hair, baring his fangs at her. Sango jolted back in surprise and confusion. "Inuyasha!"

Kagome gave another wail, and the half-demon completely forgot about Sango, turning his attention back on Kagome. "Sh," he soothed, startling everyone with his gentle, crooning tone. "You're alright, Kagome. Calm down and tell us what's wrong."

The miko continued to cry.

And then she cried harder when Miroku said in a whisper, his expression stunned, "Just what in the hell were you doing with Onigumo, Kagome?"

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

"Naraku-sama, Naraku-sama!" A voice cried as the owner of it ran through the castle to where his Lord and master awaited. His bare feet slapped across the cold tile and he threw himself down to the ground in a quick bow before raising his head excitedly. "Naraku-sama, the kitsune spy you sent to the Takahashi Lands has sent news! Naraku-sama, a miko has been discovered!"

The Kumo King's red eyes lit up with sudden delight that made the man before him shudder, clapping his hands together. "Excellent," he said in a smooth tone, standing gracefully from his throne. "Fetch for Kanna and Byakuya. Let us…test this miko and discover her weaknesses so that we may prepare for war."


End file.
